Target set to steal Canadian sales from Sears and Walmart

THESTAR.COM

Target won’t arrive for another 10 months, but 61 per cent of Canadians surveyed plan to shop there, according to market research released Monday. Among cross-border shoppers who have visited a Target store in the U.S. in the past year the figure is even higher – 90 per cent, suggesting that familiarity with Target breeds contented customers.

The survey of 1,500 Canadian shoppers was conducted in February and March of 2012 by KubasPrimedia, a firm specializing in retail analysis. To compare, 50 per cent of Canadians expressed an interest in shopping at Walmart when it crossed the border in 1994, said Ed Strapagiel, executive vice-president of KubasPrimedia.

Strapagiel said Target has done a great public relations job so far, especially with the Toronto pop-up store in February featuring limited edition fashions by Jason Wu, who designed Michelle Obama’s gown for the inauguration night festivities after her husband’s election. Target also donated the equivalent of 100 per cent of the sales to United Way Toronto.