Super Targets by stealth?

[Ohio Man]

I recently received a flyer in the mail announcing that the Target near my home (suburban Cincinnati) will be offering "fresh" grocery items in the near future. The flyer featured pictures of aisles of fruits and vegetables but (1)stopped short of saying full supemarket service is in the picture, and (2) didn't mention the words "Super Target" or any Target brand besides plain old Target. This location has always carried a small to moderate selection of non-perishable grocery items and frozen foods.

WalMart received some flack in my area (and other places as well, I believe) for quietly adding full supermarkets to existing Wallys without announcing such action in advance or using the SuperCenter name afterward. My questions to the savvy folks on this board are: is Target doing this in other areas of the country? And are they in effect creating Super Targets without naming them as such, or simply added fresh produce without taking any other steps toward full supermarket service?

[BillyGr]

This sounds like the PFresh model - they add a small section of fresh veggies and packed meats, along with a larger selection of frozen, refrigerated and dry grocery items then the original Target. No service departments and when I say small selection, the veggies and meat might fill a regular aisle (if that).

Probably adds 4 or 5 aisles (ish) total to the grocery section - kind of hard to compare exactly since they managed to move quite a bit around while doing it and somewhat standardized the layout in the various stores in our area (they had been built over several years and had a variety of layouts prior to this).

So somewhere between a regular Target and a Super Walmart (which is still smaller in many selections than most traditional grocery stores).

[Brian Lutz]

All of the Target stores in Washington have been converted to the pFresh format over the past year, which in some cases resulted in full remodels to stores that had been remodeled less than five years ago. I suspect that some smaller stores might not have the full fresh grocery selection, but Target has begun to put a much larger emphasis on groceries over the past few years.

As for Walmart, they've also added expanded grocery sections to existing stores, but as far as I know, they aren't considered Supercenters unless they have full service deli/bakery departments. Officially, Supercenter branding is no longer used, and has been removed from existing Supercenters during recent remodels.

[Super S]

All of the Target stores in Washington have been converted to the pFresh format over the past year, which in some cases resulted in full remodels to stores that had been remodeled less than five years ago. I suspect that some smaller stores might not have the full fresh grocery selection, but Target has begun to put a much larger emphasis on groceries over the past few years.

As for Walmart, they've also added expanded grocery sections to existing stores, but as far as I know, they aren't considered Supercenters unless they have full service deli/bakery departments. Officially, Supercenter branding is no longer used, and has been removed from existing Supercenters during recent remodels.

I was just in the Kelso Target store this morning, and this one has yet to be converted. It was last remodeled in the early 2000's.

[Ohio Man]

Thanks to all who have replied. Yes, my local Target appears to have adopted the PFresh format--less of a selection than even pre-late 1960s supermarkets (although they do carry cremini mushrooms) so I can't see making it a regular destination. Now if they made it into a Super Target, maybe...