Target to Operate Food DC

Minneapolis Target Corp. announced that the construction of its first perishable-food distribution center in Lake City, Fla., is almost complete.

The center should be ready to start shipping out produce, as well as frozen and refrigerated foods, by August, marking a major step toward bringing Target’s food-distribution process in-house.

Operated with Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Supervalu, the plant will supply SuperTargets in the Southeast.

Target also has plans to convert a Supervalu facility in Fort Worth, Texas, this spring, with another facility planned for Cedar Falls, Iowa, in late summer 2009.

Supervalu, which gets about 10% of its operating profit from distribution, will continue to manage the plant in Fort Worth.