Joe Boxer, Meet Martha Stewart

Kmart Corp. (Troy, Mich.) has announced that it has gained exclusive rights to the Joe Boxer line of underwear and sleepwear. An agreement has been signed allowing the Number Two mass-merchandising discount giant to become the exclusive mass merchandise distributor of San Francisco-based Joe Boxer's line of yellow, smiley face-emblazoned boxer shorts. The items will arrive in stores for fall 2002.

Cecil Kearse, Kmart executive vice president for merchandising, said the company expects “sales of hundreds of millions of dollars in year one.” Kmart's Martha Stewart Everyday line generates more than $1 billion in sales each year.

“It's an exciting deal,” said Joe Boxer founder Nicholas Graham. “It is an opportunity for us to really reach out to a much bigger customer base.”

Kmart and Joe Boxer are marketing the Joe Boxer brand as one that appeals to all ages, but the products are best-recognized among shoppers between the ages of 15 and 30.