Causes Of Target's Growth

Wal-Mart’s is one of Target’s biggest competitors, but other retailers are also trying to compete, such as Sears, Dollar General, and Amazon. Although Target caters more to a more upscale clientele, it still carriers many of the same items as Wal-Mart. Target is not able to compete internationally with Wal-Mart since all of stores are in the U.S. but by 2014, they will have about 150 stores

Within every organization there are advantages and disadvantages as well as strengthens and weakness. One of the biggest weaknesses of the Target Corporation is that all of their operations are located in the US. The organization would benefit more if they engaged in business with multinational countries. Wal-Mart has more than 11,000 retail stores in 27 multinational countries. If Target is ever going to move out of their second place position behind Wal-Mart there are going to need to expand globally. The Target Corporation is still trying to recover from the embarrassing financial disaster they made when they tried expanding their brand in Canada. Target spent 1.8 billion for 222 locations in Canada. Unfortunately, this merger

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) is the leading large-format general merchandise and discount retailer in the U.S., challenging Wal-Mart in electronics, toys and apparel while also seeking to differentiate with higher-end fashions and products for an upscale audience. As of the close of their latest fiscal year (FY2011), Target operated approximately 1,760 stores encompassing 233,000 square feet in 49 states and the District of Columbia. The company is divided into the retail and credit card divisions and moves the majority of its products through a highly integrated network of 37 different distribution centers, which include four food distribution centers. Target is one of the most well-entrenched large format retailers in the U.S., has the ability to manage their pricing strategies at a level of accuracy and precision that is comparable to Wal-Mart (Henderson, 2001). Unlike Wal-Mart, Target concentrates on a value-based message that concentrates on quality and price differentiation to sustain their gross margins while Wal-Mart concentrates on supply chain efficiency and a continual reduction of supplier and transaction costs (Krishnamurthi, 2001).

Target’s brand strategy is working very well. Although their image has changed in a positive manner over the past few years, they have remained true to their image of being an affordable alternative to other department stores. The consumers have, and more than likely will continue to enjoy the collection of items provides in their stores. The strategy has been to provide cheap alternatives, but with the introduction of private brands, Target has been able to bring in a whole different demographic. They have done a good job balancing the affordable to quality ratio. This strategy has provided a solid profit across the Target stores.

Headquartered in Minneapolis Minnesota, Target Corporation is one of the largest chains of retail stores in United States and Canada (Stone, 1995). Founded in 1902, the chain now has more than 360,000 employees worldwide. The company operates nearly 1925 stores out of which 1795 stores are in the US and 130 stores are in Canada (NASDAQ, 2014). The business prides itself in a diverse portfolio of merchandise that their outlets houses, ranging from dry groceries to electronics, furniture, apparel and much more. Its distribution networks make use of third party vendors, direct shipping as well as distribution centers. It also operates a successful e-store target.com which offers customers a virtual one-stop shop for their needs.

After the recession, Target’s value proposition shifted to simply offer affordable options in a wide array of product areas. However, now with better economic conditions and without the ability to offer lower prices than its affordable retail competitors, such as Walmart, and in order to stay relevant and refresh the company, Target needs to reposition itself as the high-quality concept and style-oriented retail store it was once known for.

Target Corporation is a retail chain specializing in household goods, clothing, food, and accessories at discounted prices. The retail chain’s history started back in 1902 as Goodfellows and in 1910 as The Dayton Company. Initially, the chain specialized in “furnishings, fabrics and decorations for business and other public institutions” (“Target Corporation,” 2016, p. 5). Eventually, Target went public in 1967 and on to acquire Mervyn’s in the 1970s where they became the seventh largest retailer in the United States. Target operates in the United States, where it is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and as of January 31, 2015 Target employs over 300,000 people. “The company recorded revenues of $72,618 million in the financial year ended January 2015, the operating profit of the company was $4,535 million, [and] the net profit was $2,449 million” (“Target

Over the past three years, Target has been focusing on an expansion strategy. Target’s goal is to expand its branches not only across the United States, but also in Canada. In 2011 they opened around 21 new stores around the U.S. In addition, they built smaller format Target store called City Target in crowded downtown areas such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco. Target’s initial plan for Canada was to open up to 125 stores, but by August 2014 Target opened about 130 stores in Canada.

Thus, Target operations thought that opening over 100 stores all over Canada would be a great opportunity for the company to expand its profitability. However, the exact opposite happened. Instead of reaching their profitability goal, there is an estimated loss between $800-$900 million, since the opening of stores in Canada (Austin, 2014). The cause of this failure was due to a lack of inventory in most stores; leading to empty shelves and many of the favorable brands from U.S. Target’s did not make it to the stores in Canada. Another problem was that prices were higher in Canadian stores compared to U.S. store prices due to shipping costs and tax (Austin, 2014). Target failed to think this whole process through before acting on it. Starting with the 124 stores who all had to be remodeled and up and running in less than a year due to Canada’s policy of not letting any store stay vacant for any longer than that; to having the ability to furnish and fill the stores with all of their merchandise (Nolan, 2014). Soon they came to realize they could not. Target’s lack of looking into the higher prices they would have been paying making it able to get the merchandise over the border into Canada, was another issue leading to the company’s ineffective plans. Having noticed early on that the extra costs of tax will lead to a price mark up on in store products,

Target Corp. is a well-known, nation-wide corporation that will soon been expanding internationally. Target’s goal is to provide exceptional quality merchandise and fresh foods for affordable prices. Their “Expect more. Pay less.” slogan goes far beyond just purchasing in store and online. Target provides exceptional service to their customers, whom they call “guests”, and provides benefits such as quarterly dividends to their stockholders. In the fiscal year, 2010, Target opened 13 new stores and of these new stores, 10 were in new locations. It is Target’s goal to create a convenient shopping experience across the U.S. In addition, Target Corp also supports strong corporate governance.

Target Corporation has recognized itself as one of the top retailers in the United States market on the basis of excellent service quality, customer experiences, operational excellence, strong financial position, and a wide array of product offerings. Through its high degree of service orientation at physical outlets and adoption of fair business practices, Target Corporation has become the most distinctive retailer in the eyes of its potential customers. Being one of the top-notch retailers in the United States, Target Corporation has to carefully strategize on its business operations and marketing tactics so as to keep itself in the row of competitive brands of the industry.

Target Corporation is among the top ten largest retail outlets in the U.S. offering clothing apparel, produce, home décor, and other household goods. The utilization of its infrastructure and information technology systems provides Target with one of its greatest strengths of forecasting consumer needs, which establishes repeat customers and consumer loyalty. “Making Target your preferred shopping destination in all channels by delivering outstanding value, continuous innovation and exceptional experiences” (Target Corporate, n.d.). The firm is supported by a strong IT department, a phenomenal leadership team that develops concrete operational planning, and consist of an organizational structure that is one other firms can model to achieve success. Target’s physical locations existence within a foreign market was short lived when Target ventured into Canada in March 2013. After closing its 124 stores in 2015, the firm is in a better position for a global expansion into Ethiopia, which has become an emerging and back into Canada where it first experienced failure.

Target Inc. is an American retailing firm that was founded in 1902 and is currently headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since its inception, the company has experienced tremendous growth and profitability to an extent that it is the second largest retailer in the United States, with Wal-Mart being the largest. By 2013, Target Inc. was ranked 36th on Fortune 500 and is among the components of the Standard & Poor 500 index. The success and growth of Target, Inc. is further evident in the expansion of its operations to Australia and Canada where it started operations in March 2013 and has 127 locations. In the United States, Target Corporation has opened more than 1,900 stores, which contribute to the firm’s huge profitability every year. A fundamental financial analysis of its recently published financial statements shows the growth and profitability of Target Inc. across all its major business segments and operations.

Expansion is a risky step for any business to take. International expansion has potential to be devastating to a company; or, it can lead to success on an even grander scale. By placing Target in Mexico, specifically Mexico City to begin with, opportunities are created for both the company and the country to grow. This expansion makes sense for several key reasons. One reason is that Target has yet to expand out of the United States. After a failed attempt at moving into Canada, the company has not tried international expansion since. Wal-Mex is the only retail store in Mexico that offers similar products for similar prices, which leaves space for a store like Target. Wal-Mart and Target have also been known to do well in the same areas. Target

speed at which the company opened their stores up. This didn’t let Canadians grow into the new lifestyle to shop at Target and instead the company collapsed on itself within a year. The second issue is the lack of product availability for customers to purchase. Due to the speed of opening, Target didn’t properly achieve their equilibrium of merchandise to sell and instead left many customers disappointed with the lack of quality service. The third issue is the prices compared to Target’s US stores. There was no foresight into the comparison of quality, price and service which would become evident once they entered the Canadian market. The fact that