Target Stores, a discount chain based in the Minneapolis, Minn., may be moving closer to a decision to begin doing business in Utah.
In September, a spokeswoman for Target, a subsidiary of the giant Dayton Hudson Corp., said Target was researching Utah as a possible site for four new stores but had made no decision and was only in the preliminary stages of site selection.In December, she says the situation has not changed, but indications are that the company is possibly zeroing in on sites in Salt Lake County and Centerville.
Applications on file at the Salt Lake County Planning Commission indicate Target plans to construct a 178,000 square foot, single-level store on 17 acres at 7025 S. Park Centre Drive (1435 East). A public hearing on the project is scheduled for Dec. 13 at the Salt Lake County Complex.
Target representatives told members of the Cottonwood Heights Community Council last month that the proposed facility would be a "Super Target," a name not used by the company before. Speculation is that a "Super Target" store would also carry groceries in addition to clothing, small appliances, hardware and such.
Target is also reported to be looking at a site in Centerville off I-15 near Parrish Lane that was originally thought to be a future Wal-Mart site. Again, the Target spokeswoman denies that an announcement is imminent.
Market watchers have said the scarcity of local retail space could make it difficult for Target to find suitable facilities in the 80,000- to135,000-square-foot range, the size of most of its stores.
Target Stores has 584 stores in 32 states and has been expanding in recent years at a rate of 50-70 stores annually. The spokeswoman said it expects to open 70 stores across the nation next year.