Target debuts new store designs to launch in October

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Re: Target debuts new store designs to launch in October

Post by architect »

CalItalian wrote:None of the remodeled stores in Los Angeles significantly moved any departments (customer service area was the biggest change). Grocery is still in the back of most stores. Manhattan Beach, it's always been on the right front of the store and still is. But in Redondo Beach, behind the South Bay Galleria mall, not only is the entire Target on the second floor above the garage but the grocery department is in the far left side of the store from the escalators and elevator.
In DFW, most of the stores which have received the current grocery pilot (LA was the test market, then DFW was the next to rollout) have left almost all departments in the same locations. In most cases, guest service renovations or moving aisles around in home decor have been the most significant changes outside of grocery. The big exceptions have been a couple of SuperTargets, both of which moved electronics and entertainment to the back of the store, while relocating seasonal and home decor to the former electronics area (adjacent to the blue doors opposite of grocery). One of these Supers had not been renovated since its opening in the early 2000's (Coit Rd. in Far North Dallas) while the other was renovated in the late 2000's (West Plano) when Target did a trial run on approximately 10 SuperTarget renovations scattered around the country.

All renovated stores have also received a new paint job, and a few have received new signage.
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Re: Target debuts new store designs to launch in October

Post by BillyGr »

Super S wrote:
Brian Lutz wrote:The stores that do have two entrances seem to be either Super Target stores (which we don't have any of in WA) or stores built as Target Greatland stores back in the mid to late 90s. In general single entrance stores seem much more common though, although Target has shown a willingness to do significant structural work in their regular remodels.
The only two entrance Target stores I have seen are the ones located in malls. Most of which have the mall entrance by the main registers, although Mall 205 does have its own set of mall registers.
We have a couple odd examples in this area.

The store in the Berkshire Mall (Lanesboro, MA) was built to replace a former Hills turned Ames. They tore down and rebuilt, but the main entrance is from the parking lot, and where the former stores had a large entry to the mall with checkouts, Target only has a small entry and no checkouts, so it's most useful to go there after shopping in the mall, since otherwise you'd have to check out up front then walk through the store to get back into the mall.

The store in the Hudson Valley Mall (Kingston, NY) was an added on piece. It was built next to a former Kmart that was divided into a couple stores with a walkway through the middle. However, the walkway turns 90 degrees and parallels the Target for a bit before dumping you into the store next to the service desk and quite near the main doors from the parking lot. So basically 2 entries but both wind up in the same spot.
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Re: Target debuts new store designs to launch in October

Post by architect »

BillyGr wrote:We have a couple odd examples in this area.

The store in the Berkshire Mall (Lanesboro, MA) was built to replace a former Hills turned Ames. They tore down and rebuilt, but the main entrance is from the parking lot, and where the former stores had a large entry to the mall with checkouts, Target only has a small entry and no checkouts, so it's most useful to go there after shopping in the mall, since otherwise you'd have to check out up front then walk through the store to get back into the mall.
There is actually a store similar to this in Dallas, but freestanding. During the 70's, a Target opened at Medallion Center. The primary entrance to Target was located along Northwest Highway. However, a good size parking lot was also located at the back of the property along Southwestern, prompting Target to add a secondary entrance at this location along the back wall of the store. Today, this entrance is located between shoes and electronics, and requires shoppers to check out up front before leaving as there are no registers by this entrance. Oddly enough, this store also survived the opening of a Super Target less than a mile away in the early 2000's, and both stores continue to coexist and receive renovations. Supposedly, the Medallion store was set to close when the nearby SuperTarget opened, but the owner of the Medallion Center paid Target a substantial sum of money to keep the store in place as a trial run. Clearly, this trial was successful, as both stores have remained open for 15 years since.
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Re: Target debuts new store designs to launch in October

Post by storewanderer »

Target's challenges with food are also part of how Target handles its logistics. They handle each item as a "piece" and high volume foods are typically handled logistically by the case. Target's challenges with fresh foods involve a lack of proper refrigeration both for storage and for food display, a lack of proper staffing/training for handling of fresh foods, and a lack of shopper confidence in fresh foods there.

Just recently we have seen them close or scale back some Super Targets into traditional Targets. If they were truly focused on food, they would not be doing that...

I get the feeling Target's focus is changing every few months these days and hope there will be some stability soon. I think they'd be best off taking over 500-1,000 larger size CVS Stores for "flexible format" Targets. CVS feels like it is giving up on front end and has a lot of big stores moving little merchandise.
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Re: Target debuts new store designs to launch in October

Post by rwsandiego »

storewanderer wrote:...I think they'd be best off taking over 500-1,000 larger size CVS Stores for "flexible format" Targets. CVS feels like it is giving up on front end and has a lot of big stores moving little merchandise.
I know of a drugstore chain that is trying to offload a bunch of stores. ;)
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Re: Target debuts new store designs to launch in October

Post by storewanderer »

I don't think many Rite Aids would be good conversions to "flexible format" Targets. A few would...

CVS has such a wide portfolio of locations from things in big cities to large strip mall stores in areas where development is difficult that I think there is a lot of opportunity.
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Re: Target debuts new store designs to launch in October

Post by CalItalian »

I was in the Torrance, California Target on Friday. The entire fresh/refrigerated food areas, from the refrigerated meat to produce, were a mess at 4 pm. Very few packages of beef. A few that should have been pulled since they were brown. Dairy area was a mess with eggs almost non-existent while gallons of milk took up all their allotted space and were put in areas where product, such as eggs, were missing. They had a few packages of strawberries - and they were in poor shape. To me, this is a normal day at Target where I always find them poorly stocked in fresh foods.

One thing I always notice about stocking at Target, I often find product with the longest shelf life dates in the front and almost expired product behind it. Doesn't matter if it is canned goods, candy or eggs.
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Re: Target debuts new store designs to launch in October

Post by storewanderer »

Target is a really poor grocer. Kmart was a much better grocer than Target ever was (well, Super Kmart...). They have never understood how to run a high volume grocery store and they treat their grocery logistics the same way they treat the logistics of kitchen tools or cosmetics. They have always tried to cut corners on fresh departments not wanting to invest space or labor into them, and that is why they have P-Fresh vs. stores with actual service departments. Their private label program is really screwy, not well priced, and very strangely assorted; over-assorted in some categories and flat out missing in other categories.

There are certain grocery categories at Target that have an excellent selection; for instance, coffee/tea, you just can't beat their selection and the pricing is pretty reasonable too. They also have a strangely good selection of pasta sauce, yet a terrible selection of dry pasta with nothing but the worst brands or some super overpriced private label gluten free stuff. Their selection of ethnic foods is flat out pathetic, but they have more SKUs of pizza sauce than a traditional grocer... the whole program is just weird.
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Re: Target debuts new store designs to launch in October

Post by mbz321 »

storewanderer wrote:Target's challenges with food are also part of how Target handles its logistics. They handle each item as a "piece" and high volume foods are typically handled logistically by the case. Target's challenges with fresh foods involve a lack of proper refrigeration both for storage and for food display, a lack of proper staffing/training for handling of fresh foods, and a lack of shopper confidence in fresh foods there.

Just recently we have seen them close or scale back some Super Targets into traditional Targets. If they were truly focused on food, they would not be doing that...

I get the feeling Target's focus is changing every few months these days and hope there will be some stability soon. I think they'd be best off taking over 500-1,000 larger size CVS Stores for "flexible format" Targets. CVS feels like it is giving up on front end and has a lot of big stores moving little merchandise.
Target really needs to just give up trying to be a grocery store and change up and expand their merchandise mix. 'P-fresh' took away a ton of floor space which could have been better utilized with higher margin goods. Keep a large portion of dry groceries and maybe a couple fridge and freezer cases and maybe a small amount of basic fresh produce/convenience items and get rid of the rest. Virtually nobody is buying fresh meat in a regular Target...whenever I go in a few local stores there will always be markdown stickers on the meat, but still doesn't seem to sell...same with the 'fancier' produce items. They seem to have it a little better with their new smaller format stores, but they really need to decide what to do in their 'traditional' stores. The prices are pretty decent, especially with the Cartwheel app, but the overall selection is just too much, yet not enough to make it more than a 'convenience store' for most shoppers.
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Re: Target debuts new store designs to launch in October

Post by storewanderer »

In the recent communications where the Target CEO also discussed sales being down in towns near the US/Mexico Border, he also announced they are abandoning the "store of the future" concept due to high costs.
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