There is only one more year for Comox Valley residents to be able to shop locally at Target.
The company announced Thursday it will open a store in the Driftwood Mall in Courtenay in the summer of 2013.
The announcement follows an announcement in January, when the Minneapolis-based retailer purchased up to 220 leaseholds currently operated as Zellers stores for $1.825 billion from the Hudson Bay Company, which owns the Zellers Inc. subsidiary.
Freda Colbourne, media spokesperson for Hudson Bay, told the Record in January that Target had 220 stores to choose from.
“They may take them all; they may take less,” she added.
Fisher told media the announcement is the first wave in stores that will be converted, with 15 in total across B.C.
Founded in 1670, Hudson’s Bay Company is a conglomerate that operates the Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters and Fields stores.
Competing against other discount retail giants, Target operates in nearly all of the United States offering “trend-forward” merchandise at low cost, as opposed to the traditional concept of focusing on low-priced goods.
Target also announced it will open its Canadian headquarters in Mississauga, Ont. In September, the company will announce a second wave of store sites, added Fisher.
In addition to the Driftwood Mall location, other Zellers stores on the Island slated to convert to Target include Discovery Harbour Shopping Centre in Campbell River, Nanaimo North Town Centre and Tillicum Mall in Victoria (all scheduled to open in spring 2013).
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