Target Canada spent millions of dollars on renovations and created 213 jobs for its new Windsor store.
The location at Devonshire Mall is set to open at 8 a.m. on Tuesday. The media was given a behind-the-scenes look at the bullseye brand on Monday.
At first glance it appears just like any other American Target. Staff members are dressed in red and beige and the store is big and bright. But a closer look reveals Roots, a Canadian icon, greeting Canadian target shoppers first.
“This business model is built to be successful in Canada,” says Target Canada president Tony Fisher.
The model includes mannequins - a new addition to Target marketing.
“The overhead signs, these are new to Canada,” says Fisher.
The signs are to help guide a customer through the maze of departments, including a sports apparel section which is noticeably blue, without a trace of red.
Fisher was ready to answer questions about the price comparison to the U.S stores.
“Whether they shop in the U.S. or Canada, it’s all Target for me,” he says.
Prices have been a topic of much debate for cross-border shoppers. In a comparison of three average items - a movie, laundry detergent and a toy – the items are more expensive here.
Floyd Simpkins, an international business professor at St Clair College, says it’s unrealistic to expect identical prices on both sides of the border.
“There’s some good reasoning behind it,” says Simpkins. “Distribution costs more, transportation costs more. That has to be built into pricing.”
He does think consumers will be better off having Target in Canada despite price differences.
“Target's competitors will have to be more innovative and they'll have to be more competitive,” says Simpkins.
In addition to Windsor’s store, 16 new Target Canada locations will also be opening Tuesday. Other Canadian Target sites have already launched in Guelph, Fergus and Milton on March 5.
The company is expected to open 124 locations across Canada in 2013.
