Tuesday promises to be a special day for keen Alberta shoppers, as U.S. retailer Target gets set to open 10 locations across the province.
The 10 stores are part of 22 soft openings scheduled for May 7, as part of the 124 locations Target has planned for its Canadian operation, the company said on Monday.
“Target is thrilled to be opening stores in Western Canada, providing a one-stop shopping destination that meets the wants and needs of our guests,” said Tony Fisher, president, Target Canada.
“It was exciting to see the response to our Ontario store openings, which have produced valuable insights that along with our soft openings in Western Canada will help us to continue to deliver on Target’s Expect More. Pay Less. brand promise for guests across Canada.”
See after the slideshow for store locations
How Target Canada Prices Stack Up With U.S. Target Prices
Tuesday will see the opening of Target stores in Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Red Deer, Sherwood Park and St. Albert, the company announced.
In Calgary stores will open in Chinook Centre, Forest Lawn Shopping Centre and Market Mall, while in Edmonton stores will open in Bonnie Doon Shopping Centre, Mill Woods Town Centre and West Edmonton Mall.
The Grande Prairie store will be located in Prairie Mall, the Red Deer location will be in Bower Place, the Sherwood Park store will reside in Sherwood Park Mall, while the St. Albert location will be located in St. Albert Centre.
A fourth Calgary location is scheduled to open on May 14 at the Shoppes at Shawnessy.
But it's not just shoppers who are interested in the chain's latest unveilings.
Target stores that opened recently in Ontario have seen traffic slow-downs in the last few weeks due to sticker shock, which analysts say stems from the amount new Canadian Target shoppers are paying relative to prices in Walmart and Target's U.S. locations.
UBS analyst Jason DeRise warned in mid April that Target may be moving too quickly into Canada’s market and may not succeed in meeting its ambitious goals.
Shoppers entering many of the new Alberta locations will be greeted by what the company says are wide aisles, Starbucks cafes and an in-store pharmacy.
Store hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.