Target to Open 45 Stores on Sunday

Minneapolis Target is gearing up for the opening of 45 stores on Sunday, including the debut of two new prototype stores in Minnesota and the company’s first two stores in Alaska, according to The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

Target will debut its first new general-merchandise prototype in Waconia, Minn. Meanwhile, a new store in Otsego, Minn., features the company’s new SuperTarget prototype.

Each of the new models is certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

The report also noted that the new general-merchandise stores will be 132,400 sq. ft. in size, roughly 6,000 sq. ft. larger than the current model. The new SuperTarget stores will be 186,000 sq. ft.

Target plans to roll out the 2009 prototypes at more than 100 locations nationwide next year.

Target also will open its first Alaska locations this weekend. One of the stores is in Wasilla, the town where Alaska governor and Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin was mayor from 1996 to 2002. The other will be in Anchorage.

As of Sunday, Target will operate 1,685 stores in almost all 50 states, with the exception of Hawaii and Vermont. However, it has plans to enter Hawaii next Spring.