By Emily Crowe, Multimedia Editor, Progressive Grocer
Amid record growth, Target takes a look back at how it all began.
Just over six decades ago, shoppers eagerly awaited the grand opening of Target Corp.’s first store in Roseville, Minn. May 1, 1962, marked that location’s first day in business, and the retailer is taking a look back on its rise to retail supremacy.
The idea for Target came about as The Dayton Company was looking to develop a new kind of mass-market discount retailer. On May 9, 1961, it was reported that the company planned to form a discount store chain with Douglas J. Dayton at the helm.
That first location in Roseville was 68,800 square feet and billed itself as a discount store that combined quality and service with more than 75 departments ranging from groceries to fashion. Three more stores opened around Minnesota that year, in St. Louis Park, Crystal, and Duluth.
