The new stores will open in the Hamptons in New York, as well as Ohio, Mississippi, Texas, Virginia and Tennessee. The openings are part of Target’s wider investment in its physical locations, which includes new stores, renovations and updates to existing sites.
According to Retail Dive, Target planned to invest an additional $1 billion this year on top of $5 billion already allocated for new stores, remodels, technology improvements and other capital projects.
Target Reaches 30-Store Expansion Target for 2026
The eight new locations mark the completion of Target’s plan to open 30 stores during the year. Seven of the eight stores opening in October are larger than 125,000 square feet, which is the average size of a Target location, according to Retail Dive.
Target’s expansion follows the opening of its 2,000th store in March in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. The location introduced an open layout design and included a food and beverage department that is 30% larger than the average Target store. Six additional stores opened in May across Arizona, Missouri, New Jersey and North Carolina.
The company is also continuing its remodelling programme, with 130 existing locations scheduled for updates in 2026. Target has said its longer-term strategy includes building more than 300 new stores by 2035.
“These new stores give our teams the tools and environments to bring our merchandising strengths to life, create easier and more inspiring shopping experiences, and use technology to move smarter and faster every day,” Adrienne Costanzo, Target’s chief stores officer, said in a company release. Target is also expanding its delivery services. According to Retail Dive, the retailer added next-day delivery availability in 20 additional metropolitan areas during 2026.
New Collection186 Uniforms Introduce Updated Employee Apparel Options
Target is also changing its employee clothing options with the launch of Collection186, a new apparel range scheduled to become available on October 5. The name refers to Pantone 186, the specific shade of red used by Target.
The collection was developed by Target’s internal design team with contributions from Isaac Mizrahi, who joined the company in June as Target Creative Director At Large. The fashion designer has worked with the company on product design and mentoring for its in-house creative team.
The new employee apparel includes logo-branded crew-neck T-shirts, polo shirts, cardigans, blazers and vests. Target said the collection was created to give store workers additional clothing choices while keeping the company’s visual identity.
“We designed Collection186 with our store team members in mind — offering them more options to their wardrobe that are unmistakably Target,” Gena Fox, Target’s senior vice president of design, told Retail Dive. Fox added that the company’s designers worked with Mizrahi to create pieces that were designed to be functional for employees’ daily activities.
The store expansion and uniform launch come after Target reported stronger financial results for its second quarter. According to figures cited by Retail Dive, the company recorded net sales of $26.5 billion, an increase of 5.3% compared with the same period a year earlier. Comparable sales increased by 3.8%, while net earnings reached almost $1.9 billion.
