Target Corporation facts for kids
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Corporate headquarters, Target Plaza, in Minneapolis
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Formerly
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| Industry | Retail |
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Number of locations
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 1,956 stores (2025) |
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Area served
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United States, Canada (formerly, see Target Canada) |
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Key people
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Brian C. Cornell (Chairman & CEO) |
| Products | Clothing, designers, footwear, accessories, jewelry, beauty products, groceries, food, drinks, electronics, housewares, appliances, bedding, bath, furniture, home decor, books, toys, games, movies, music, lawn and garden, pet supplies, health and hygiene products, gifts, optical, snack bar, and pharmacy |
| Revenue | US$109.1 billion (2022) |
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Operating income
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 US$3.848 billion (2022) |
| US$2.780 billion (2022) |
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| Total assets | US$53.34 billion (2022) |
| Total equity | US$11.23 billion (2022) |
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Number of employees
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440,000 (2023) |
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| Subsidiaries | Shipt |
Target Corporation is a big American company that runs many discount department stores and hypermarkets. Its main office is in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It's one of the largest stores in the United States.
The company started in Minneapolis in 1902, thanks to a businessman named George Dayton. Over the years, it grew by opening more stores and buying other companies. The first Target store, which gave the company its name, opened in 1962. The company changed its name to Dayton-Hudson Corporation in 1969 after joining with the J.L. Hudson Company. It used to own other department stores like Dayton's and Marshall Field's. In 2000, the parent company was renamed Target Corporation.
Target is known for selling stylish items at good prices. Its stores usually sell many different things, like clothes, home goods, electronics, and toys. They also sell groceries. The company's name and logo look like the center of a shooting target. Their dog mascot is even named Bullseye. Target grew across the U.S. in the late 1900s. Its main competitors are Walmart and Amazon. Target also has many distribution centers and offices around the world.
As of 2023, Target has 1,948 stores across the United States. It is ranked high on the Fortune 500 list of big U.S. companies. Target is also known for being one of the most generous companies in the U.S., giving a lot to charity.
Contents
Target's History and Growth
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The story of Target Corporation began in June 1902. That's when George Dayton bought a company called Goodfellow Dry Goods. The company changed its name a few times. It became Dayton's Dry Goods Company in 1903 and then the Dayton Company in 1910.
The very first Target store opened in Roseville, Minnesota, in 1962. The main company was renamed Dayton Corporation in 1967. It became the Dayton-Hudson Corporation in 1969 after joining with the J. L. Hudson Company. This larger company owned several department store chains. In 2000, the Dayton-Hudson Corporation officially became Target Corporation.
Different Kinds of Target Stores
Target Stores: Your Everyday Shopping Spot
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The first Target discount store opened on May 1, 1962, in Roseville, Minnesota. This town is a suburb of Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Today, these stores are usually about 135,000 square feet. They sell all kinds of general items. This includes things for your home, electronics, and clothes.
Since 2006, Target has been making new stores unique. They try to make each store fit the needs of the neighborhood around it. Many Target stores have Starbucks Coffee counters. These were first only in SuperTarget stores. But since 2003, they are in regular Target stores too. Many stores also have Pizza Hut Express counters.
In 2008, Target started a new store design called "PFresh." This added more grocery items to regular Target stores. These new stores are a bit bigger than others. They sell fresh and frozen foods, baked goods, meat, and dairy. Target updated many stores with this new design in 2009 and 2010. They also closed their garden centers to make more space for groceries.
CVS Health at Target
On June 15, 2015, CVS Health announced a deal with Target. CVS bought all of Target's pharmacies and clinics. This deal was worth about $1.9 billion. The Target pharmacies were renamed CVS Health pharmacies. This happened in February 2016. The Target clinics also became MinuteClinics. This helped CVS open more pharmacies in new cities.
SuperTarget: More Than Just Groceries
The first Target Greatland store opened in Apple Valley, Minnesota, in September 1990. These stores were about 50% larger than regular Target stores. They had more checkout lanes and price scanners. They also had bigger aisles and larger pharmacy sections.
The first SuperTarget hypermarket opened in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1995. These stores took the Target Greatland idea even further. They added a full grocery department. In the early 2000s, some SuperTarget stores even had E-Trade trading stations.
Target sees its grocery sections as a helpful part of the store. They are not trying to be just a grocery store. As of September 2015, there were 239 SuperTarget stores. Each one is about 174,000 square feet. Target has said that "Big or small, our stores have one thing in common: they're all Target." Newer stores now just open under the Target name.
Smaller Target Stores for City Life
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Most regular Target stores are quite large. But "small-format" CityTarget stores are usually around 80,000 square feet. The first ones opened in July 2012 in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
Even smaller are TargetExpress stores, which are about 14,000 to 21,000 square feet. The first one opened in Dinkytown near the University of Minnesota in July 2014. These smaller stores sell items in smaller packages. This is helpful for customers who use public transportation. Stores near colleges often have more items for dorms and apartments.
In August 2015, Target decided to rename all its CityTarget and TargetExpress stores to simply "Target." They wanted to show that all their stores, big or small, are part of the same brand. Many new small-format stores have opened in cities and college towns. These smaller stores are designed to appeal to younger customers.
Target's Brands and Services
Target has several important parts that help it run. These include Target Brands, Inc., Target Capital Corporation, and Target Enterprise, Inc.
Financial Services
Target's Financial and Retail Services (FRS) group handles Target's credit cards. These are called the Target REDcard. They also manage Target GiftCard balances. Target also has a debit card, the Target Debit Card. This card takes money directly from a customer's bank account. It also lets customers save 5% on every purchase.
Target Sourcing Services
This part of Target finds products from all over the world. They help bring items like clothes, furniture, and towels to the United States. Target Sourcing Services has offices worldwide. They make sure that factories working with Target meet quality standards and treat workers fairly.
Target's Main Office
Target Corporation's main office is in Minneapolis. It's located on Nicollet Mall, close to where the first Goodfellows store was. The office complex is called Target Plaza. It has two main buildings, Target Plaza North and Target Plaza South. This complex was built to bring 6,000 employees into one place.
Brian Cornell is the current Chairman and CEO of Target Corporation. He works to understand what customers need and want.
Target's Giving Back to Communities
Target is known for being one of the most generous companies in the U.S. It often ranks high on lists of companies that give a lot to charity. Target donates about 5% of its profits before taxes. This means they give over $3 million every week to the communities where their stores are.
Target also helps schools. They give a percentage of money from their Target Visa cards to schools chosen by cardholders. So far, Target has given over $150 million to schools across the United States through this program.
One example of Target's generosity is the Target House complex in Memphis, Tennessee. This place provides long-term housing for families of patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Target donated more than $27 million to create 96 fully furnished apartments. These are for families who need to stay at St. Jude for a long time.
Target usually has a rule against people asking for donations outside its stores. This is to make shopping a calm experience for customers. However, they used to make exceptions for Salvation Army bell-ringers during the holidays. In 2004, Target asked the Salvation Army to find other ways to work together. Target still donates to local Salvation Army groups through its grant program.
Target and the Salvation Army have worked together on special projects. In 2005, they created "The Target/Salvation Army Wish List." This allowed online shoppers to buy goods directly from Target.com to donate to hurricane victims. In 2006, they had "The Target/Salvation Army Angel Giving Tree." This was an online version of the Angel Tree program.
When disasters happen, Target is a big helper for relief efforts. They gave money and products after the September 11 attacks. They also donated money for the 2004 tsunami in South Asia. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Target donated $1.5 million to the American Red Cross. They also let their stores in affected areas be used as command centers for relief groups. They donated supplies like water and bug spray.
Target often donates its unused or returned items, especially clothing, to Goodwill Industries.
Target's Environmental Efforts
Target is working to be more friendly to the environment. In 2007, Target Corporation agreed to sell fewer products with polyvinyl chloride (PVC). PVC can contain harmful chemicals. Target is also reducing energy use in its stores. They have recycling programs for many items.
All Target stores in the United States use plastic carts with metal frames. In 2006, Target started using carts made entirely of plastic. Some Target stores in Oklahoma use only wind power for their energy. Stores across the country use energy-efficient LED and fluorescent lights. They also have low-flow restrooms that save water. Some Target stores are even putting gardens on their roofs. These "green roofs" help absorb rainwater and keep buildings cooler. There are four green-roof Target stores in Chicago.
Target sells over 700 organic and eco-friendly products. These include items from brands like Archer Farms and Burt's Bees. They also sell clothes made from organic cotton, non-toxic cleaners, and furniture made from recycled materials. Since 2007, Target has offered reusable shopping bags instead of plastic ones. Target gift cards are made from corn-based materials.
Target's first "green" building was a store built in 1995 in Fullerton, California. It used skylights to save 24% on energy. Target also has a program to reuse garment hangers. This keeps millions of pounds of metal and plastic out of landfills. In 2007, this program stopped 434 million hangers from going to landfills.
Target has faced some challenges related to environmental practices. In 2009, Target agreed to pay a penalty for selling toys with higher than allowed lead paint levels. In 2018, Target was fined for improperly disposing of certain waste.
Target is also working to add more electric vehicle charging stations. They plan to have them at over 100 locations across 20 states. In 2022, Target announced its first net zero energy store in Vista, California. This means the store produces as much energy as it uses.
Images for kids
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The Target Chip Ganassi Racing IndyCar visiting Purdue University
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Minnesota United FC player with Target's logo on the jersey and on the stadium's advertisement boards
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Target car driven by Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyle Larson in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2017
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Target Greatland logo, 1990–2006
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Original SuperTarget logo, 1995–2006
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Second SuperTarget logo, 2006–2018
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CityTarget logo, 2012–2015
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TargetExpress logo, 2014–2015
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Super Target logo, 2004–2018
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Reach forklifts at a Target distribution center.
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Target distribution center with a Swisslog CaddyPick system.
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T-3892 Target food distribution center in Lake City, Florida.
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T-0556 Target regional distribution center in Tifton, Georgia.
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See also
In Spanish: Target Corporation para niños
