Target begins shipping to Canada with hefty fees attached

Target's website announcing the company will now be shipping to Canada.

TORONTO -- Target Corp. is returning to Canada, but not with the splashy fanfare of its previous arrival.

The U.S. discount chic retailer has quietly opened an international website that gives Canadian shoppers the option of ordering products that will ship over the border.

But shopping at Target won't come cheap because online orders face a list of extra charges, including duties and taxes as well as shipping fees.

"It is part of a test and we will have more details to share in the near future," said spokesman Jamie Bastian in an emailed statement to The Canadian Press.

The international website is being operated by Borderfree, a company that specializes in helping retailers sell products around the world, and will charge local shoppers in Canadian dollars.

Several things have changed in the Canadian retail industry since Target closed its stores here earlier in the year.

A wave of high-end U.S. retailers are in the midst of opening department stores across the country while big chains like Walmart and Best Buy Canada have been expanding product selection on their websites.

Other factors have made crossborder shopping less appealing, including the value of the loonie, which has dropped about 10 cents US to just over 76 cents US since the start of the year.

Target Corp. announced in January that would close its 133 Canadian stores and leave the country after deciding it would take years to turn a profit.

Lawyers for the company are still in Canadian courts ironing out some of the final details of the company's windup.