Target Celebrates 60 Years of Retail Innovation

Even the retailer’s fancy “Tarzhay” nickname was coined the same year it opened its first store. “Duluth was the first place I heard it: Customers started calling it ‘Tarzhay.’ That was 1962,” Dayton said. “We surprised ‘em, because they had such low expectations for a discount store.”

National expansion plans were underway in 1966 as Target opened two new stores in Denver and further growth was made possible when The Dayton Corporation went public in 1967. Those early stores made way for today’s 1,900-plus stores that are right-sized for each neighborhood Target is in.  

The company is touting its commitment to its team members and the communities it serves as it celebrates this milestone, as well as today’s safe and convenient fulfillment options and its partnerships with major companies including Disney, Apple and Ulta Beauty. 

The company continues to experience topline growth on top of unprecedented increases over the last two years. Its multi-category assortment served a wide range of customers’ needs during the first quarter, with the strongest performance in food and beverage, household essentials and beauty. 

Minneapolis-based Target Corp. is No. 6 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, with nearly 2,000 locations.