TARGET

COMMENTARY:

With nearly all regional discount chains gone in New England, options for discount department stores are limited to Walmart, Kmart and Target. I first saw a Target store in Florida back in 1992. I only remembered it as a discount store chain with a bull's eye logo and neons running along the walls inside. Target then slowly made its way up to New England. In 1999, I visited the new store in Concord NH shortly after it opened. I was pleasantly surprised by the store. It was large, had wide aisles, bright lighting and lots of good buys. A fresh look compared to what we were used to.

Even if Target does not always has rock-bottom low prices all around, it often offers unique merchandise with good sales and promotions.  Target also operates Super Target stores similar to Walmart Supercenters.  Target entered Maine in October 2001 with the opening of the South Portland store. I like Target because they have nice stores and merchandise at good prices. They offer a different discount store experience and it adds diversity to the retail landscape.

OVERVIEW:

Unlike most other mass merchandisers, Target has department store roots. Back in 1961, Dayton's department store identified a demand for a store that sold less expensive goods in a quick, convenient format. Target was born.

In 1962, the first Target store opened in Roseville, Minnesota. They were the first retail store to offer well-known national brands at discounted prices. Trough the '70s, they paved new ground by implementing electronic cash registers storewide to monitor inventory and speed up guest service. We also began hosting an annual shopping event for seniors and people with disabilities, plus a toy safety campaign. In the 1980's, Target opened new stores all the time, and rolled out electronic scanning nationwide.

Target launched the first new Target Greatland® store in 1990. The first SuperTarget store, which combined groceries and special services with a Target Greatland store. opened in 1995. Target also operated Marhall's Fields and Mervyn's but both chains were sold off in 2004. The Greatland store concept was eventuall phased out.

Typical Target stores are 90,000-135,000 square feet in size, Greatland stores were 150,000 square feet and SuperTarget stores are 177,000 square feet. Target now has stores in all 50 states, but for several years, the exception was Vermont. In 2018, Target finally entered Vermont by moving into a former Bon-Ton store. In 2020, Target picked up at least 8 former Kmart locations in California, Maine, New Jersey, Florida, Wyoming and North Carolina.

NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND OVERVIEW:

Target now has stores across Maine New Hampshire and Vermont. Target in Salem opened in a former Lechmere store.  A store opened in 2004 in Bangor ME. In the past few years, stores have opened in Keene and Bedford NH and Topsham ME. Two new stores opened in northern New England in October 2006: Biddeford ME and Somersworth NH. A store opened in March 2008 in Augusta ME. One of the latest addition was the Greenland NH store in July 2009.  A new store was planned for Seabrook NH but that project stalled and eventually a Walmart opened at that site. Target probably has room to expand a little more in northern New England following the multiple stores closings of Sears and Kmart and other stores. In 2018, Target opened its first store in Vermont in a former Bon-Ton store. In 2020, Target announced it would open in the former Kmart in Auburn, Maine.  Soon after, it was revealed that Target would also replace Kmart in West Lebanon NH. That new NH store opened in November 2021. The new Target in Auburn Maine opened in November 2022.

TARGET CANADA OVERVIEW:

For years, Target said that because they had enough opportunities in the United States, they were not pursuing international expansion.  In 2010, the company announced it could expand to Canada within the next five years.  In 2011 it was confirmed that the company would enter Canada by 2013.  The process began with the acquisition of 189 leases from the Canadian Zellers store chain which at the time had 276 stores. 

Target Canada expected to open between 125 and 135 stores in 2013. 127 locations were officially confirmed as of July 2012.  See the list here.  Target entered Canada pretty much the same way Walmart did in 1994 when it acquired 122 Canadian Woolco stores. The first stores have opened in the spring of 2013 in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. More stores in these provinces opened during the summer and in the fall Target opened stores in Quebec and the Maritime Provinces. It was also the first time that Target operated stores in another language (in French in Quebec). At the end of 2014, the Canadian division had 133 stores.  After disappointing sales results caused by an array supply chain issues and other factors, Target Corp. abruptly announced in January 2015 it would liquidate and close all stores in Canada.  On April 12, 2015, Target Canada closed the last of its 133 stores. Most former Target were taken over by other retailers like Walmart, Giant Tiger, Canadian Tire, Marshalls and more.

 ME/NH/VT LOCATIONS:

This website is not affiliated with the Target chain, Target Canada, Target Brands or Target Corporation.

For the most accurate and current information about Target, visit their official website.