Organics section, kosher items among products at St. Paul's new TargetExpress
Minneapolis-based Target is looking to cater to the Highland Park neighborhood with its new TargetExpress store – the second of its kind to open in the Twin Cities in the past year.
TargetExpress is the company's smallest store format – about one-sixth the size of the big-box stores found in the suburbs – and aims to be a quick-stop shop that offers items for people who live in the neighborhood.
In the case of Highland Park, that's families, empty nesters and college students, the Pioneer Press says.
The store, which replaced a Barnes & Noble on Ford Parkway, opens Tuesday at 7 a.m., with its grand opening coming July 26, reports note.
The 16,000-square-foot store (the second-smallest TargetExpress) won't have the Gophers apparel, dorm supplies and drink mixes like the Dinkytown express store that opened last year, the Business Journal reports. Instead, Target took feedback from the community, focusing its inventory on families and wellness, reports note.
In addition to the Target staples such as paper towels, cleaning supplies, beauty products, grocery items and a pharmacy, the Highland Park TargetExpress will have an organics section (a first for a TargetExpress store, the Pioneer Press notes) and kosher items, as well as sporting goods and yoga mats, baby items and toys, Star Tribune says.
There will also be a small electronics section that sells activity trackers and cameras, aisles of school supplies, some clothing, and a small home decor section, the Pioneer Press notes.
Local flair
There will also be some local flair, including illustrations by Minneapolis artist Ross Bruggink, a U of M grad who also did artwork at the Dinkytown express store, and Peanuts merchandise (creator Charles Schulz is from Minnesota), the Business Journal says.
TargetExpress will also be selling cookies from Cookie Cart – a nonprofit that works with teens in the Twin Cities.
This is the fourth TargetExpress store to make its debut since Target opened its first (in Dinkytown) last summer. The company is aiming to its presence in urban areas.
Target plans to open several more express stores around the country by the end of the year, and a few more next year, reports note.
