What’s in a name? A lot, apparently. TargetExpress and CityTarget stores will soon just go by Target, the company said Tuesday, citing a simplified customer experience as the reason behind the rebrand.
Evidently, a Bullseye by any other name doesn’t scream affordable shopping.
The Minneapolis-based mass-market retailer started testing flexible-format stores in varying size and assortment in urban areas three years ago, adding “Express” and “City” to the traditional moniker as a means of setting them apart from their suburban big-box cousins. To date, the company has opened the shops in 14 locations across the country.
“But big or small, our stores have one thing in common: They’re all Target,” an announcement on the company’s website said, revealing that customers were confused. Thus, beginning in October, both new and existing stores will be renamed.
Six new stores will also open that month, two of which will be regular-sized while the other four—in San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago and Rosslyn, Virginia—will be smaller. “But rest assured,” the statement said, “they will all be Target.”