Nooo! Target and Canada break-up - YouLookFab Forum

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Nooo! Target and Canada break-up

Helena

Veteran

Well Canadians, that's it - Target's out! Although I am sad, I can't say I'm surprised - I think they underestimated how hard it would be to earn their spot in the marketplace here - not to mention, their stock situation was quite a disaster. My heart is going out to all the folks who will lose their jobs - especially the ones that were starting from scratch there after losing their jobs at Zellers. The employees, in my opinion, were pretty top-notch amongst big retailers here and they did raise the bar in that sense.

I personally will miss the tees, cardis, and great kids clothes (not the mention the Archer Farms brand food-stuffs, which was pretty good stuff). Where to buy my cheap-and-cheerful pick me ups now?? Don't tell me I have to go back to that horrible Superstore!!

Shopping

33 replies

Latest reply was from Suz

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Awwww. I have to admit, I rarely went, but that is too bad. Esp, as you said, for the employees.

We don't have a lot of options anymore, do we?

Helena

Veteran

We don't - it's terrible! Our own guys can't keep up and the new guys can't get going ... I probably have 3 stores I shop in regularly now! So much for competition ... *sigh* ...

Anonymous

I have to say I'm neither sorry, nor surprised ( it was aluded to the other day when a press conference was announced - most people figured they'd close a few stores, not all of them though! ) . I just can't believe they invested ALL of that money in infrastructure, hiring , training, etc etc and then this. A massive huge new store just opened in Wpg a month ago - they constructed it from the ground up just for Target. I also work with companies who sold to Target (books) and it often had a deleterious effect on publisher print runs, shipping, warehousing , delivery timing etc. I'm quite sure we'll survive without it. I just wish Walmart would disappear along with Target

They are also leaving massive holes in shopping centres where replacing an anchor of that size will be a challenge. Yes, their leases are paid up for x number of years, but that doesn't help the other mall tenants who depend on an anchor to draw repeat business.

Can you tell I had no use for Target ?

trekkiegirl

Veteran

Oh wow, I would be devastated. Target is one of my favorite stores for pretty much everything!

Gaylene

Veteran

Well, I don't think Target's disappearance will affect most Canadians' shopping habits since the shelves were half empty most of the time and the cash registers never had a lineup. The staff were friendly but the merchandise just wasn't there, and what there was wasn't priced any differently than at competing retailers. To be honest, if I needed a Target-type product, I usually went to a Canadian store like Superstore or Canadian Tire/Mark's--or, less often, ventured into a Walmart.

I suspect the biggest effect will be on other US retailers who have been considering an expansion into Canada. Canada IS a foreign country as retailers like J Crew, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, Marks and Spencer, and Zappos have found out when they made the push to expand into the Great White North. Having a recognizable name in another country doesn't automatically guarantee success. I think Nordstrom is smart to be cautious. I wonder how the downturn in oil prices is going to affect their Calgary store--and plans for upcoming stores...

Jennifer

I have to agree with lisap and Gaylene. Target made a huge number of errors with their Canadian stores right from the outset, and never corrected them. People had high expectations and they were never met because Target just didn't bring in the merchandise that they have in their US stores. To my mind, Target in Canada was just Zellers, but an inferior Zellers. I'm not in the least surprised that they have gone bankrupt. Their approach was all wrong.
lisap - I could totally do without Walmart too.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Wow, all of your comments are so interesting. I wonder why they had so much trouble with inventory. Target has become such a go-to for me - nicer than Walmart, better service than most of the discount stores, convenient website, apps, etc. - that it's hard to imagine my life without it. Too bad that they did such a bad job in Canada.

Anonymous

There's a ton of information on the inventory issues, distribution and stocking problems, and pricing errors - all in various business articles on the web. If you're really interested, the Globe's website is a good resource. It's a highly fascinating business case study, and I wish I were back in an MBA level class right now talking about it.

Jules

Veteran

Yeah, my least favourite thing about this is that it's a boost to Walmart. I think I only went to Target 2-3 times, I was disappointed with the lack of housewares which is where I think they could have shined - Walmart doesn't keep up with trends, Superstore doesn't really carry the whole range of product, Sears was overpriced for the quality and are gone now anyway... I think there was a niche to fill there, like a more local/accessible IKEA, but the stock just wasn't available when I went. As far as basics, they only had polyester sleepwear for my kids, in summer, so that was useless. Combined with the lack of updates to the old Zeller's location it was just really sad and disappointing. Then you get the backlash effect.

Helena

Veteran

lisap, I just talked to my mom, and she made the comment that business school students will forevermore be reading the case study of Target in Canada ...

Laura, I am so with you - I love Target ... in the States ... the Canadian version just didn't measure up though. What they had was fine, but they were rarely fully stocked. Few of the designer collaborations made it to the stores here. They also had no online functionality for Canadians, and we can't order from their main site either. My experience will the customer service was excellent though. I will definitely miss my fun purchases there! But at the end of the day, unfortunately I have to agree that they are reaping what they sowed ... it's going to cost them $600 million to exit, they are saying ...

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I only ever went to our Target once. Once was too often. It was TERRIBLE. Empty shelves, NONE of the great stuff I have seen our US and Oz friends picking up, and a horrible atmosphere. My daughter took one look at me and said, "Mom, what is wrong with this place? What could anyone buy here?"

I mean...our local Bay is also a disaster, with almost no selection or sizes (and hardly any staff) -- but this was about 10 times worse.

There was such a big build up before they opened up here...and then, nothing. This did not endear them to me.

Jennifer

Suz - Oh, TELL me about the Bay. What a disaster that is. I can never find anyone to help me there, and even in the downtown Vancouver location, the premises just look so sad. These days I just avoid it completely, apart from the occasional browse through Topshop and the shoe department. Nordie's is coming this fall and I think the downtown Bay is about to be hit hard.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Fascinating. Target in the US is an extremely well oiled machine, and very well stocked. People here LOVE Target. Sounds like you didn't get the US Target experience in Canada, though. I don't know if that's a shame if you have great alternatives.

Jennifer

But here's the thing, Angie....we don't. We have Wal-Mart, and we have a Canadian store called Canadian Tire. Neither really fills the same niche as Target, and I have to say that at least in my part of the country, there is a lot of popular sentiment against Wal-Mart for various reasons.
I know lots of people who specifically include Target in their cross-border shopping trips, because we just don't have the equivalent here. But there is only so much cross-border shopping you can do, and we can't order online from Target either.

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

Totally agree with Lisa. I was extremely disappointed the few times I went into our local Target store - I think Canadians as a whole thought we were going to get the exact same Target as in the U.S. and that's not how it turned out.

It is a shame that we lost the Zellers stores (which I much preferred to Target) to a company that I suspect didn't do their home work about entering the Canadian market.

And yeah - what are we going to do with all those empty spaces?

jackiec

Veteran

I heard this on the news this AM too, and am not too disappointed either. I only went into Target twice the entire time it was here. The first time it looked no different from Zellers, worse even. The second time was before Christmas and I was pleasantly surprised. They were open super early (my kind of shopping ) and I got tons of stocking stuffer shopping done in a record amount of time. Other than that, definitely not the same experience as U.S. Target, that's for sure. I suppose it'll be good for Superstore, that's my main go to for the cheaper stuff. I don't have a WalMart close by so don't tend to go there.

On another note, I am a little worried about the Nordstrom coming to town in the fall. I wonder if it'll be the same experience as in the US. So often when US chains come to Canada it's just not the same. Crossing my fingers. Anything's better than The Bay's terrible service....

Anonymous

I liked Target. It was my favorite go-to store for most things ... that is until they proved to be irresponsible with my private data. I had to cancel my credit card at Christmas time. It was two weeks before I got a new card re-issued at Christmas time. They can kiss my ass.

Gaylene

Veteran

From a marketing/retailing case perspective, the Hudson Bay saga is quite fascinating. From what I've understood, the strategy was to first improve the level of the merchandise, then to keep stores stocked, and then to compete aggressively on price and to offer an improved on-line experience. Re-vamping stores and re-training staff was put lower on the list.

It's not easy to turn around a vast retail enterprise in a huge country with the population collected into small, localized pockets The biggest advantage for the Bay is that the company is backed by prime real estate holdings in all the population centers. I do hope that their strategy works because the loss of the Bay would be devastating for the consumer market in Canada.

rachylou

Veteran

The whole thing is bizarre. Like New Coke.

Marilyn

Veteran

I guess I'm in the minority but I'm bummed. I'm two minutes from a Target and it's become our go to place for many basics. We've never had an issue with stock and prices seemed good to us. And it's a lovely, spacious store. Maybe some locations are better than others because I've heard the stories.

I think they came in too fast......133 stores. Why not do it like J Crew with a store here and there and go from that.

I was looking at a photo slideshow of Target Canada's short history......the liquidation signs are already up. The Toronto Star is reporting that some stores are already half empty.

Helena

Veteran

Marilyn, other the the stock, I did love our store too (the Aurora one) - the staff was terrific and it was a very nice store. I had a good routine down where I did all my pantry shopping there, as they had products I really like. The stock issue was very annoying but it didn't stop me! (just look at my WIWs for proof that I enjoyed a good Target shop!!

I am going to go tomorrow and see what state our store is in ... there is a Beaver Canoe side table I wanted to pick up; best not wait any longer!!

missvee

Veteran

I figured it was a goner when we went over to the food section and all of the cooler lights were on sensors - they came on when you got within a few feet and then turned off as you moved away. Huh? Who sets up a store like that?
HBC must be rubbing its hands that they offloaded all those leases when they did.
I'm wondering if Nordstrom's is a bit nervous now - their big plus is the excellent online ordering and return program, and so far I see no sign of that in Canada. And I doubt they want to set up secondary warehouses here.

Thistle

Veteran

Interesting.

I really like Target here in the US. Great selection, nice atmosphere in the stores, etc. But, you already heard that. Sounds like Target was having logistical troubles.

I don't like WalMart and have been there once in the past year only because they had a Dora toddler bed in pink and blue, and pink and blue was a WalMart exclusive *sigh*

lindalu

This Canadian is sad too about Target closing. I really enjoyed shopping there for seasonal stuff, Sonia Kashuk makeup, cute handbags and sunglasses. I also enjoyed grabbing a Starbuck's coffee on the way out... every Northern Ontario town has Timmie's, but no Starbucks! As for the Bay, I shop there online and my experiences have been great! In store is another story... I can never find anything!

Sheila

Veteran

I was surprised and not surprised. There is never anyone in there. I find they have alot of stock and just empty aisles.

I purchased a winter coat there for my daughter this year and she picked up a few back to school items.

Feel bad for the people though... that is alot of jobs gone. Sad.

Also surprised they went into the market the way they did. WHY did they not try 20 stores and try to find a winning formula rather than what they did ? It was just crazy.

They were certainly not cost competitive in my mind either.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Nordstrom is still privately owned, though, right? So they don't have to play to the stock market as much as a public company does, and can make more long term strategic decisions. At least that's what I hope they'll do...

Style Fan

Veteran

I never went into Target in Canada. And now I find out there is a Starbucks in Target from lindalu. A Starbucks in Northern Ontario! I would have gone to the Target for the Starbucks. I avoid Walmart. They have a MacDonalds. Now I am upset.

Deborah

Veteran

This is so interesting. Like in the US, Target Australia is fantastic. Great stock, and a good range of stock, reasonable quality and reasonable prices.
How long has Target been in Canada?

Helena

Veteran

Deborah, it's been her for only two years! The competitive landscape in Canada is slim to say the least ... there isn't a ton of choice and really nothing similar to a Target at all. But, they opened 133 stores virtually at once, had no functioning website ... they really botched it, in all fairness. One comment that's been made is that it is strange that they are leaving altogether, rather than scaling down ... there really is a hole in the Canadian market that they are perfect for; they just bit off more than they could chew, I think.

Glad to hear they've done a better job in Australia!

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