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1200 Nicollett Mall Ave
www.target.com
Contact information:
Chris Lawless, PR specialist
Phone: 548-932-1042
Email: lawlescj@target.com
Target’s Future Looks Extremely Personable
MINNEAPOLIS – “Whenever I go into a store I am on a mission. I want to be in and out of
the store and onto my next errand,. “answered Mark Johnson, frequent Target shopper when
asked what his ideal shopping experience is. What is your ideal shopping experience? Mr.
Johnson also said that he finds himself lost in large grocery stores buying items he did not
come in there for.
According to pressroom.target.com, starting in 2015, Target Corporation will open 15
new more customer oriented stores based on locality. These new stores will create a more
customizable experience for optimum shopping. Target plans on opening eight TargetExpress
locations, one CityTarget, and six general merchandise Target stores.
“As more people, and especially young people, opted to live in cities rather than suburbs,
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Target wanted to remain convenient,” said John D. Griffith, executive vice president for
property development at Target. In order to make customer experience better, Target Corp.
is opening stores for shoppers based on locality. For example, TargetExpress provides a
quick-trip shopping experience that is distinctly Target.
“These locations will limit the amount of time customers find themselves wandering
aimlessly through the store searching for what they came in to buy. Instead, TargetExpress
locations offer fast shopping experiences for shoppers on the go,” added Griffith. Target plans
to bring two TargetExpress stores to the greater Washington, D.C. area and one to Chicago.
These stores are generally 20,000 square feet, much smaller than the general merchandise
stores of 126,000 square feet. “I can’t wait for the smaller style stores! We will really be able
to check customers out much more efficiently,” said Jessica Anderson, a Target cashier.
Target will open its first East Coast CityTarget store in Boston. These locations are
customized for urban guests and contain smaller packaged merchandise that is easier for
customers to carry home. There are currently eight CityTarget stores, including three in Los
Angeles, two in San Francisco, one in Seattle, one in Portland, Oregon and one in Chicago.
Target hopes that CityTarget locations will personalize shopper’s experiences more and fit
their lifestyles better considering locality.
With continued success, Target plans on opening six more general merchandise stores
in Oahu-Kailua, Hawaii, Maui-Kahului Hawaii, Westwood, Massachusetts, Lake Bluff,
Illinois, Fort Worth, Texas, and San Diego. “Our store growth looks different today than it did
five years ago, driven by guests’ expectations for ease and personalization in their shopping
experience. Smaller formats like TargetExpress and CityTarget offer customized assortments
and services to meet the needs of guests who are increasingly moving into urban centers. In
our general merchandise stores, we’re embracing a test and learn philosophy, innovating with
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layouts and experiences and bringing digital and bricks and mortar together like never before,”
said Tina Tyler, executive vice president and chief stores officer, Target.
With plans geared toward smaller more customer oriented stores, Target continues to
stay on pace with Wal-mart and remain competitive in the retail world. The first two Wal-mart
Express test stores opened in June 2011 in northwest Arkansas, and North and South Carolina
were soon added as locations. These locations range from 12,000 to 15,000 square feet,
significantly smaller than the 624 Wal-mart Discount stores, which average 108,000 square
feet and employ about 225 people. Wal-mart only introduced Wal-mart Express locations
therefore, TargetExpress locations along with CityTarget and the expansion of Target’s
general merchandise stores will further boost Target’s brand and make them the top retailer in
the industry.
Target’s growth plans for the future include opening eight TargetExpress locations,
one CityTarget and six general merchandise stores. These stores create a more customer
oriented style shopping experience based on location. Customers can expect much more
personalized shopping experiences in the future at Target.
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