No More “TargetExpress” Or “CityTarget,” Just Small Target Stores
Between TargetExpress and CityTarget, the country’s No. 2 big box retailer appears to have the mini urban store market down. But when you operate three similarly named stores, there’s bound to be a bit of confusion, right? Apparently that’s the case for Target, which now plans to rebrand its smaller-format stores to, you guessed it: Target.
The retailer announced today that it will drop the “Express” and “City” from its smaller stores’ names in favor of its traditional – and more widely recognized – moniker beginning in October.
“Over the years, we’ve explored many different formats that help us tailor our stores to fit their neighborhoods,” the company said in a blog post. “But big or small, our stores have one thing in common: They’re all Target. What better way to stand behind that promise than with our own Bullseye? So beginning this fall, we’ll begin the process of renaming all of our CityTarget and TargetExpress stores ‘Target.'”
While the company’s announcement doesn’t specify that the changes were made because of confusion regarding the smaller format stores’ names, a spokesperson tells the Star Tribune the rebranding is an effort to clarify that the mini stores are in fact real Target locations.
“It’s about a simplified experience for our guests,” Erika Winkels, a Target spokeswoman, said. “It also helps guests understand that you’re not only limited to what’s in the four walls of that store.”
When Target first began experimenting with the mini-store concept it said the locations would be about 15% of the size of a standard Target discount store, and fit into former urban grocery stores.
The first CityTarget opened in 2012, but the company kept the test small. It now counts 14 locations on its roster.
Target notes in its rebranding announcement that it continues to be committed to the mini-stores, with four new locations left to open this year.
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