Target Corp. has established a second front in its Canadian invasion, with the opening of 22 Western Canadian stores Tuesday — including one in Red Deer.
The American retail giant announced on Monday that it would welcome shoppers at 10 Alberta stores this morning, as well as nine in British Columbia and three in Manitoba. The Alberta stores include Target’s new premises at Bower Place Shopping Centre, as well as three outlets in each of Calgary and Edmonton, and one each in Grande Prairie, Sherwood Park and St. Albert.
Two more stores — one in Calgary and another in British Columbia — are scheduled to follow next Tuesday.
In March, Target opened 24 stores in Ontario. The company has indicated that it expects to have 124 stores operating in Canada by the end of this year.
The second biggest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart, Target carries a broad range of products. These include clothing and accessories, health and beauty products, electronics, home furnishings, kitchen supplies, sporting goods, toys, automotive and hardware supplies, and some grocery items.
The Red Deer store has a pharmacy and a Starbucks outlet.
Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.
The company has indicated that it generally employs 150 to 200 staff at each store. It held hiring fairs in Red Deer earlier this year.
Many of Target’s Canadian stores are going into space previously occupied by Zellers. The company purchased the lease rights to these properties from Zellers’ parent, Hudson’s Bay Co., in January 2011.
The Red Deer Zellers closed on Nov. 12, and that same month the City of Red Deer issued a building permit for $7.1 million worth of renovations to the premises. Target Canada spokesperson Lisa Gibson said Monday that her company has spent an average of $10 million on each of its Canadian locations.
Based in Minneapolis, Minn., Target Corp. has more than 1,800 stores. It was founded in 1902 as Dayton Dry Goods Company, with the Target name first used in 1962.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com