Target Corporation is a $110 billion mass merchandise retailer with more than 1,900 stores across the United States and a large e-commerce operation. It is the seventh-largest retailer in the country by revenue. Target sources products and services across hundreds of categories — apparel, home goods, food and beverage, electronics, beauty, personal care, and corporate services.
Target operates a formal supplier diversity program and has publicly committed to spending goals. For diverse businesses in product manufacturing, branded goods, and business services, Target is a realistic long-term target.
Target's supplier diversity program
Target's supplier diversity program is part of its broader corporate responsibility commitments. The company has stated specific goals for diverse supplier spend and reports progress annually in its corporate responsibility report.
Target announced a goal to spend more than $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by 2025, part of a broader supplier diversity commitment made in 2020 (Source: Target Corporate Responsibility Report, 2022). The company also has commitments to Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women's Business Enterprise (WBE), and other diverse business categories.
Target is an NMSDC corporate member and a WBENC corporate member. The company participates in both organizations' annual conferences and has dedicated supplier diversity team members who engage with certified diverse suppliers.
Target also runs programs specifically aimed at small and emerging diverse suppliers. Their Forward Founders program, launched in 2021, targets early-stage businesses from underrepresented backgrounds with mentorship, and a path to shelf. This program operates separately from standard procurement and has specific eligibility requirements.
Certifications accepted
Target accepts:
MBE: NMSDC certification from a regional affiliate. Target actively tracks MBE spend as a corporate NMSDC member.
WBE: WBENC certification.
SDB / 8(a): SBA certification for applicable purchasing categories.
WOSB: SBA WOSB certification.
SDVOSB/VOSB: Veteran-owned business certifications recognized in Target's procurement tracking.
LGBTBE: NGLCC certification.
DOBE: Disability:IN certification.
Self-certification: Target's system allows suppliers to self-certify diversity status for categories where third-party certification is not standard (e.g., small emerging businesses). Self-certification carries less weight than third-party certifications in competitive sourcing situations.
For product vendors, NMSDC MBE and WBENC WBE are the most relevant and widely recognized certifications. Target actively tracks spend in these categories as part of its NMSDC and WBENC corporate membership commitments.
How to register
Target's supplier registration process runs through their Partners Online portal at partnersonline.com (POL). This is Target's primary vendor management system.
For new suppliers who are not yet in a relationship with Target, the entry point is different depending on whether you are pursuing products or services:
Product vendors: Target's primary path for new product vendors is through their annual product submission process or through category-specific buyer outreach. Target buyers attend trade shows (Toy Fair, National Hardware Show, Fancy Food Show, and others by category) and review product submissions. Unsolicited online submissions through POL are not the standard entry path for new product vendors.
Business services suppliers: Services procurement (marketing, IT, logistics, facilities, staffing, and consulting) goes through Target's procurement organization. Reaching out to Target's supplier diversity team and registering in their supplier management system is the appropriate path.
Target's Forward Founders program for early-stage consumer brands has a separate application process. Applications open annually and focus on brands from Black, Indigenous, and other underrepresented founders. Check Target's website for current program details and application windows.
Product and service categories
Target sources products across virtually every consumer category. The highest-volume categories for diverse supplier opportunities include:
Consumer packaged goods: Food, beverage, personal care, beauty, and household products. Target actively seeks diverse-owned brands in these categories, particularly in the natural/specialty and multicultural segments.
Apparel and accessories: Target has in-house brands (Cat & Jack, A New Day, All in Motion) but also sources from hundreds of branded vendors. Women's, children's, and multicultural fashion have been focus areas for diverse vendor development.
Home goods and decor: Housewares, furniture, storage, and seasonal decor. Target has shown interest in diverse-owned home brands, particularly those with distinct design perspectives.
Beauty: Target has actively invested in expanding Black-owned beauty brands on shelf. This is an explicitly stated category commitment.
Services: Staffing, marketing, IT services, logistics, facilities management, and professional services for Target's corporate operations. These are evaluated through standard procurement rather than the product vendor process.
Realistic note on product vendor entry: Target's buying organization is sophisticated and selective. Minimum order quantities, packaging requirements, compliance standards (UPC, EDI, routing guides), and competitive pricing are all table stakes. Products that are shelf-ready at scale, not just small-batch artisan production, are what Target buyers are looking for.
Spend goals and public commitments
Target's published commitment to spend more than $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by 2025 was a specific, public, time-bound goal. Progress against this goal is reported in Target's Corporate Responsibility Report (available at investors.target.com).
Target also reports broader diverse supplier spend percentages in its CR report. The company does not publicly disclose a single annual diverse spend total in the way that Billion Dollar Roundtable companies do, but the Black-owned business commitment is among the most specific public commitments in retail.
Realistic assessment
Target is a genuinely large and active diverse supplier customer. The company's scale and commitment make it worth pursuing. The challenge is competition: thousands of diverse businesses are registered in Target's system.
For product vendors, the realistic path to a first Target order for an early-stage diverse brand is 2 to 4 years. Start with smaller retail chains (regional grocers, specialty retailers) to build volume, demand data, and packaging compliance. Target buyers want to see proven sell-through before taking a chance on a new brand. The Forward Founders program is an exception — it is designed to accelerate early-stage diverse brands.
For services suppliers, the timeline is shorter. Marketing, IT, and professional services can move in 6 to 18 months with the right introduction and credentials.
Target's supplier diversity team is genuinely engaged. Showing up at NMSDC and WBENC conferences where Target is present, and meeting the supplier diversity team directly, accelerates relationships more than portal registration alone.
Next steps
- Determine whether your business is a product vendor or services supplier — the entry paths differ substantially.
- For product vendors: review Target's vendor compliance requirements at partnersonline.com to understand packaging, EDI, and logistics requirements before approaching.
- For product vendors: check the Forward Founders program application window if you are an early-stage brand from an underrepresented background.
- For services: register in Target's supplier management system through their procurement portal.
- Obtain NMSDC MBE or WBENC WBE certification if applicable. Both are recognized and tracked by Target.
- Attend NMSDC or WBENC annual conferences where Target participates in matchmaking.
- Build a sell-sheet or capability statement specific to the Target category you are targeting, showing your business's traction, packaging readiness, and diversity certification.
Target's commitments are real, its program is well-resourced, and the spending power is undeniable. Getting into the system requires persistence, compliance-readiness, and often a few years of building the right credentials. Start building now.
