Target is expected to open its new store at Hillside Centre on March 11.
Hillside general manager Kerry Shular said the opening date is tentative and earlier than expected. The U.S. retailer said last year it would open the Hillside location in the spring, but did not provide a specific date.
The 150,000-square-foot store was built new after the former Zellers location was torn down last year. The two-floor building has quickly taken shape and work is now being done on the interior. Target’s trademark bull’s-eye sign is expected to be erected after clearing Victoria city council in meetings this week.
The Hillside store will be larger than the Target location at Tillicum Centre in Saanich, which is 122,000 square feet. That store opened on May 7 last year.
The Hillside store is one of nine that Target plans to open in Canada this year. The others include two locations in Mississauga, Ont., and others in Toronto, Ottawa, Barrie, Ont., Edmonton, Winnipeg and Candiac, Que. Five of the locations will be in former Zellers locations, while the others will be newly constructed stores.
By the end of the year, Target will have 133 locations in Canada.
Target’s Hillside store will be followed by the opening of another big U.S. retailer, Marshalls, on March 26. The clothing store will be located on the second floor of Hillside’s new eastern wing. Marshalls is the second largest discount clothing chain in the U.S. with more than
750 stores, behind only its sister company TJ Maxx. Both are owned by parent TJX Companies.
Marshalls started its Canadian expansion in 2011 and is expected to have
20 stores open by spring.
Target, meanwhile, has faced high expansion costs and disappointing sales since its highly anticipated arrival in Canada last year as shoppers complained about near-empty shelves and notably higher prices than at U.S. Target stores.
Last week, the retailer said it would offer some of its Canadian customers a year of free credit monitoring after a massive security breach at its U.S. stores put confidential details into the hands of thieves. Target emailed customers saying it believed their information may have been taken if they visited U.S. Target stores between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15.
Target said an investigation found the personal information could have included the names, addresses, emails and phone numbers of some Canadians.
Unlike affected U.S. customers, who had payment data from their debit and credit cards taken, the Canadian information is limited to contact information, according to the company.
Target has said the number of Canadians affected is estimated to be “well under” one per cent of the total, which represents less than 700,000 customers.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department announced it plans on tracking down the hackers involved in the data breach.
