Target hits the mark in Calgary

U.S. retail giant Target is now open in three locations in the city. Shoppers are seen streaming into the Market Mall location on Tuesday morning.

Three new Target stores have opened their doors in Calgary to a steady stream of customers on Tuesday.

There were about a dozen people lined up outside the location at Market Mall just prior to the opening, all eager to see what the retail store has in stock.

Locations in Forest Lawn and Chinook Centre also opened their doors on Tuesday.

One customer isn’t sure the store will make much of an impact in the city, but says the variety is good to see. “It’s definitely another place to shop. There’s more variety and brand names for cheaper prices.”

Another 19 locations opened elsewhere in Canada on May 7.

Stores will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Sundays.

Many are taking over the retail space vacated by Zellers.

“We spent $11 to $12 million per store, on renovating these stores and pretty much completely gutted them out and its everything from the design of the walls to the signing to the floor but we really spent a lot of time thinking about how do we bring the target experience to Canada and our store lay-out and design really supports that,” said John Morioka Senior Vice-President of Marketing, Target Canada.

A store at the Shoppes at Shawnessy will open on May 14 and stores are also planned for Signal Hill and Sunridge Mall.

Their goal is to open 200 stores by 2020.