Fisher to lead Canadian effort

The challenge of spearheading Target’s entry into Canada will be handled by Tony Fisher. He was named president of Target Canada last week in a brief press release that offered little detail on his background or qualifications to lead the company’s efforts to open between 100 and 150 stores beginning in 2013. Here’s what Target had to say about Fisher.

“Fisher joined Target in 1999 and has held a variety of leadership positions at the company. He was most recently promoted to vice president of merchandise operations in 2010 where he led the corporation's efforts to enhance guests' in-store shopping experience through technology advances and process improvements.” In his new roles, he will be responsible for building the team, establishing the headquarters and leading the day-to-day operations.

It was unclear from the press release to whom Fisher will report, but Target had previously indicated that chief marketing officer Michael Francis would serve as executive committee sponsor of Target Canada. Francis was quoted as saying, “Tony has a strong sense of Target's unique culture, merchandising strategy and brand and a proven record of delivering results. His positive energy, broad merchandise experience and keen understanding of what differentiates Target in the retail industry make Tony well-suited for this new role and position Target for success in Canada."