Target to Remodel Roughly 1,000 Stores Nationwide

Target has unveiled its first “next-generation” store in Houston as it prepares to spend billions in the next four years to remodel more than 1,000 stores across the U.S. to compete against e-commerce titans, the Houston Chronicle reports.

The first thing customers will notice is the redesigned store’s two entrances. One entrance caters to customers looking for a shopping trip focused on “ease” and leads to “a supermarket-style experience,” the article states. Here, customers can collect online orders and pick up food items, household supplies and more.

The second entrance invites shoppers to experience “inspiration.” This section of the newly redesigned store contains seasonal items, beauty products and specialty brands from celebrities like Chip and Joanna Gaines from the television show “Fixer Upper.”

Store manager Shannon Wolford says Target’s goal was to “tailor the experience to what shoppers are looking for.” She says the Houston store represents Target’s most ambitious brick-and-mortar renovation to date.

Modern aesthetics are front and center across the new store design. Polished gray concrete floors, wood accents and windows that let in natural light are just a few of the ways Target hopes to reimagine its stores, the article states. The stores will also feature LED lights that dim automatically to increase energy efficiency.

Outside the redesigned store, special parking spaces are devoted to customers who have purchased products online and are ready to pick them up directly from employees.

Josh Orr, a Houston-area retail consultant, says in the article that with its plan to redesign more than 1,000 stores and incorporate design elements that encourage buying online and picking up in store, Target is solidifying its position as a brick-and-mortar powerhouse and a competitive e-commerce player.

“Target is really trying to create a unique retail experience across both online and in-store,” Orr says. “The end goal is to unify the experience.”

The article states that shoppers mostly enjoyed the new store design.

“It’s so cool,” Tonia Nelson, a mother of two in Houston, says. “It makes you want to buy the stuff.”