If you’ve ever picked up a $12 throw blanket, a $30 air fryer, or a pair of socks at Kmart and noticed the same short, four-letter name on the label every single time, you’ve met Anko. It’s not a separate company you’ve never heard of it’s Kmart’s own house brand, and at this point, it covers most of what’s on the shelves.
Disclaimer: Product availability, pricing, and quality can change over time and vary by store or region. Always check current, product-specific reviews before making a purchase decision.
This guide covers what Anko actually is, why it exists, what it’s genuinely good (and not so good) at, and a few other things that share the name, in case that’s what brought you here.
What Is Anko?
Anko is the umbrella own-brand label used by Kmart Australia, and now its sister chain Target Australia, covering nearly every category the stores sell — homewares, small appliances, clothing, toys, furniture, and more. It was introduced in 2019 as part of Kmart’s 50th-anniversary rebrand, replacing a cluster of older in-house labels the store used to run separately, such as Home&Co, Kids&Co, Clothing&Co, and Active&Co.
According to Kmart, the name “Anko” stands for “A New Kind Of” — as in a new kind of homewares, a new kind of appliance, and so on — with the “k” doubling as a quiet nod to Kmart itself.
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Big-name licensed products — think Lego, Fisher-Price, or VTech — still sit on Kmart’s shelves under their own names. Anko is specifically the label for everything Kmart designs, sources, and sells as its own.
A Quick Snapshot
| Question | Short Answer |
|---|---|
| Is Anko a real, separate brand? | No — it’s Kmart Australia’s own private label |
| When did it launch? | 2019, alongside Kmart’s 50th anniversary |
| What does the name mean? | “A New Kind Of,” with a nod to Kmart |
| Where can I buy Anko products? | Kmart Australia, Target Australia, and Red Spot Boutique outlet stores |
| Is kmart available in the US or UK? | No — this Anko is tied to Kmart Australia’s parent company, not the unrelated US Kmart chain |
| Are Anko products good quality? | It varies significantly by product category — see below |
Why Anko Has Become Such a Big Deal
Anko isn’t just a label change — it reflects a real shift in how Kmart operates. Instead of simply stocking other companies’ products, Kmart designs and sources a huge share of its range in-house, giving it more control over both price and design than most competitors have. Retail industry commentary has noted that kmart now accounts for the large majority of items sold in Kmart stores, and the brand has become a genuine driver of the retailer’s sales growth even during otherwise difficult periods for the wider retail sector.
Anko products also get a lot of organic attention on social media, particularly TikTok, where shoppers regularly compare cheap kmart items to pricier name-brand equivalents — a big part of why the brand has built such a loyal, bargain-hunting following.
Is Anko Actually Any Good? What Independent Testing Shows
This is where it’s worth being balanced rather than hyping the brand up or writing it off entirely, because the honest answer is: it depends on the product.
Where Anko tends to perform well:
- Basic homewares — cushions, throws, storage baskets, and similar low-tech items — regularly get solid reviews for the price.
- Some small appliances have scored competitively against premium brands in independent lab testing.
- Simple, low-electronics items (kitchenware, basic furniture) tend to be safer bets than anything with more complex mechanics.
Where it’s shakier:
- Consumer testing groups such as CHOICE (Australia) and Consumer NZ have flagged specific underperforming items over the years, including certain air fryers, food processors, stick vacuums, and non-stick frypans that scored at or near the bottom of their categories.
- Electronics and baby products are generally the categories where reviewers most often suggest sticking with an established, name-brand alternative instead, partly because of shorter warranty coverage compared to bigger brands.
The realistic takeaway: Anko is a genuine mixed bag rather than a uniformly “good” or “bad” brand — and that’s fairly typical for large, wide-ranging private labels. It pays to check recent reviews for the specific item you’re after, rather than assuming the brand name alone tells you much either way.
Where Anko Products Are Sold
- Kmart Australia — the primary home of the brand
- Target Australia — added to the range following the retailers’ operational merger under the same parent company
- Red Spot Boutique — an outlet-style store where discounted and clearance kmart stock also turns up
It’s worth flagging clearly: this kmart has no connection to the separate, unrelated Kmart chain in the United States, and Anko products aren’t sold through UK retailers. If you’re searching from outside Australia or New Zealand, you likely won’t be able to buy these items directly.
Common Mistakes People Make When Buying Anko
- Assuming every Anko product is equally reliable. Quality varies a lot by category — a great result with one homeware item doesn’t guarantee the same with, say, a kitchen appliance.
- Skipping recent reviews. Product lines get updated or discontinued often; a positive review from a couple of years ago may not reflect the current version on shelves.
- Buying electronics or baby gear purely on price. Independent reviewers consistently suggest this is the category where it’s worth paying more for a brand with a longer warranty.
- Confusing this kmart with something else entirely. Because the word has other, unrelated meanings (more on that below), it’s easy to land on the wrong search results if you’re not specific.
Other Things Called “Anko” (In Case That’s What You Meant)
Since “kmart” is a short, common word, a search for it can turn up a few unrelated results:
- Anko (餡子/あんこ) is also the Japanese word for sweetened red bean paste, a common filling in Japanese sweets like manjū, dorayaki, and daifuku.
- kmart Mitarashi is a character from the anime and manga series Naruto.
- The word has a few other minor uses too, including as a dialect term in parts of Japan and a name that’s appeared in various historical and fictional contexts.
If you landed here looking for one of these instead of the Kmart brand, it’s a good sign to refine your search with an extra word — “anko recipe,” “kmart Naruto,” and so on — to get more relevant results.
Key Takeaways
- Anko is not a separate company — it’s Kmart Australia’s own private label, covering nearly everything the store sells.
- The name replaced older sub-labels like Home&Co and Kids&Co with one single umbrella brand in 2019.
- Anko has since expanded to Kmart’s sister chain, Target Australia, and products can also turn up at outlet-style stores like Red Spot Boutique.
- Independent testing (from groups like CHOICE and Consumer NZ) shows Anko quality varies a lot by product — some items outperform premium brands, others don’t.
- “Anko” has other, unrelated meanings too — it’s also the Japanese word for sweet red bean paste, and the name of a character in the Naruto anime — so search results can get mixed if you don’t specify which one you mean.
Content Freshness Note
Kmart regularly updates and discontinues specific kmart product lines, and independent review scores (from outlets like CHOICE and Consumer NZ) are refreshed periodically. Revisit this piece every few months to keep specific product callouts current.
Editorial Review Note
This article should be reviewed by someone with direct, current knowledge of the kmart product range before publishing, to confirm specific product examples are still accurate and in stock.
READ MORE: Anko Dango Japanese Dessert 7 Delicious Things to Know Before You Try It
Conclusion
Anko isn’t a mystery label or a knockoff brand it’s simply Kmart Australia’s and now Target Australia’s own-label answer to nearly everything it sells, built to keep prices low while giving the retailer more control over design. It’s genuinely good value in plenty of categories, genuinely hit-or-miss in a few others, and worth a quick check of recent, product-specific reviews before you buy anything more complex than a cushion.
FAQs
What does Anko stand for?
Kmart says the name stands for “A New Kind Of,” with the “k” acting as a subtle nod to Kmart itself.
Is Anko owned by Kmart?
Anko is Kmart Australia’s own in-house brand, introduced in 2019 to replace several older sub-labels like Home&Co and Kids&Co.
Can I buy Anko products outside Australia and New Zealand?
Generally, no. kmart is tied specifically to Kmart Australia and its sister store Target Australia, and isn’t sold through Kmart’s unrelated US chain or through UK retailers.
Are Anko appliances safe to use?
Kmart states that Anko electrical products are tested against applicable Australian safety standards before sale, though independent reviewers still suggest checking specific product reviews, since performance varies by item.
Is kmart the same as the Japanese word for red bean paste?
It’s the same word, but a completely different meaning — “kmart” in Japanese refers to sweetened red bean paste used in wagashi and other desserts, unrelated to the Kmart retail brand.
Which kmart products get the best reviews?
Independent reviewers most consistently rate kmart’s basic homewares — items like cushions, storage, and simple furniture — more favourably than its more complex electronics and appliances, where results are more mixed.
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