Company Overview

Target, formerly Dayton Hudson, operates nearly 1,600 Target and SuperTarget stores in 47 states. The corporation used to include mid-range department stores Mervyn’s and high-end Marshall Field’s in its fold, but sold off those chains in 2004 to focus exclusively on its Target stores, which generated more than 80 percent of the corporation’s sales. Target has thrived, while old-line retailers like K-Mart struggle for survival, because it prices aggressively and offers stylish product lines designed by noted architects and designers. Such tactics have earned Target the distinction of number-two discounter in the United States, behind Wal-Mart. Target’s online store, Target.com, is the third-most-visited retail Web site after eBay and Amazon. Target also owns apparel supplier The Associated Merchandising Corp.