Target Opens 12 Stores, Accelerates Remodels

Target Corp. is opening 12 new stores across the country, and plans to accelerate its number of store remodels while also expanding its Restock program nationwide next year.

The new stores include 11 small-format locations – bringing the format’s total number to 55 – in the New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Minneapolis metro areas, as well as one traditional store in Honolulu. New York’s stores will be in Manhattan’s Herald Square, Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst neighborhood and Port Washington North on Long Island; Los Angeles’ stores will be in Mission Hills and the Glassell Park neighborhood; Chicago’s will be in the Lakeview neighborhood and the suburbs of Oak Park and Skokie; Minneapolis’ will be in the Uptown neighborhood; Philadelphia’s will be at the Philadelphia Art Museum; and Honolulu’s will be at the Ala Moana Center.

By the end of this year, Target will have opened 32 new stores in 2017, with plans to open an additional 35 in 2018. The retailer also is increasing store team member staffing and training to deliver better service and expertise. By the end of 2019, Target plans to operate more than 130 small-format locations nationwide, including its first Vermont location in South Burlington, slated to open in fall 2018.

“As we open more small-format stores in new neighborhoods across the country, we’ll be even closer to our guests, and our reimagined stores will provide elevated inspiration and ease, along with serving as hyperlocal distribution centers to fulfill digital orders faster,” said Target Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell.

New Looks and More

For remodels, Target is increasing its investment to redesign 1,000-plus stores by the end of 2020, enhancing the guest experience with its next generation of store design. In addition to the 110 stores remodeled in 2017, Target plans to fully renovate more than 325 in 2018, 350 in 2019 and 325 in 2020. The reimagined stores will feature Target’s most ambitious store redesign to date, featuring modernized design elements, with an experience that aims to be easy and inspiring for guests. The hundreds of remodels planned will be customized, with shopper feedback being applied to each new remodel.

Moreover, throughout this year, Target has been allocating millions of payroll hours for increased training and staffing at its stores across the country. This includes training for the 100,000 seasonal team members Target plans to hire this year, as well as enhanced training in key departments, such as apparel, beauty, electronics and food and beverage. In doing so, the retailer is building an expert sales force, with team members who specialize in one area of the store and can provide credible guidance, product knowledge and personalized service to guests, ultimately driving incremental sales. These additional payroll hours also ensure that guests experience quality service during peak periods of increased traffic, such as weekends and the holiday season.

And Target continues to accelerate enhancements in stores and digital to create a networked shopping experience, with stores, digital channels and supply chain working together to meet guests’ needs. In 2018, Target will offer guests additional digital fulfillment options by expanding Target Restock, introduced earlier this year, to guests nationwide.

Target’s digital investments include:

• Same-Day Delivery: Allows for same-day delivery in New York of in-store purchases, including fresh grocery, anywhere in Manhattan and to parts of Brooklyn and Queens. Same-day delivery was first tested at the Tribeca store in June and will expand to Target’s Herald Square, Bensonhurst and Fulton Street stores on Oct. 20. Target acquired tech company Grand Junction in August to expand the service.
• Target Restock: Beginning later this month, guests will have until 7 p.m. to place a Restock order for next-day essentials delivery service, which is currently available in 11 markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis and Washington, D.C./Baltimore. Restock will expand to more major markets early in 2018 and nationwide by the end of the year.
• Drive Up: Earlier this year, Target began testing a fulfillment option called Drive Up, a new service through the Target app that enables guests to have their digital orders brought out to their cars by a store team member. Guests can shop via the Target app and access nearly 100,000 eligible items, including home furnishings, toys, electronics, household essentials, non-perishable food and baby-care items. After an initial pilot program this summer with headquarters team members, the retailer started offering Drive Up to guests throughout the Twin Cities area this month.
• Target + Google Express: Target recently expanded its partnership with Google, which included rolling out Google Express service nationwide and using stores to deliver items in just two days. Target will add new voice-activated shopping features and plans to offer Target REDcard payment as an option for guests in 2018.
• Pinterest Visual Search: Target’s U.S. retail-exclusive partnership with Pinterest will integrate the Pinterest Lens into Target’s registry and eventually Target’s app, allowing guests a faster product search.
• Enhanced Team Member Technology: This holiday season, team members’ devices will be equipped to place guests’ orders online right from the sales floor and have the purchase shipped to their homes.

Minneapolis-based Target Corp. operates 1,828 stores nationwide.