Each morning, Angela W. walks the aisles of Target’s new store in North Carolina and admires her team’s hard work — and their promise to deliver a great guest experience. There’s the colorful splash of fresh fruits and vegetables, wide-open aisles and airy spaces, elevated offerings in beauty, home, baby and more, as well as the only-at-Target exclusives.
At 148,000 square feet, it’s also one of our largest stores, with 24 Drive Up stalls along with Order Pickup and same-day delivery, a Starbucks Cafe, CVS Pharmacy and Disney store at Target, as well as a food and beverage department 30% bigger than the average Target.
There’s the new team too. As store director, Angela leads more than 150 team members, most who are new to Target, some who are continuing years-long careers and growing into leadership roles. This includes Angela, who has been with Target for 26 years and just opened her first store as a store director.
Her journey wasn’t a straight line. She found a role as executive team lead for our stores in New Hampshire and New York, before moving to North Carolina and becoming a store director. At one point, Angela left Target for another opportunity — only to return shortly afterward.
“You talk about belonging and feeling like you’re part of something bigger,” she says. “Coming back to Target was where I found that sense of belonging. Since then, I’ve continued to grow and develop in my role.”
When the lights come up, it’s almost like a symphony.
A new Target store: It’s not only about delivering Target’s easy, inspiring and friendly experience to a new community, it’s also about new beginnings for our team members. And it’s a new chapter for our business, as we work to build more than 300 new stores by 2035, creating a bigger stage for our differentiated style, design and value.
Growth goals
We’re tracking quickly toward our goal. Fuquay-Varina is our 2,000th store, and one of more than 30 we plan to open this year as part of our $5 billion capital investment plan. More new stores mean more good paying jobs for great people who deliver our best-in-the-industry guest experience — powered by a culture that embraces caring, growing and winning together.
The support team
Opening a new Target store takes the partnership of hundreds of team members in the field and at headquarters, committed to everything from troubleshooting, coordinating shipments or stocking shelves and backrooms to building connections within the team and community.
“Teamwork is the framework for everything,” says Sean S., property management business partner. “It takes a crew.”
Sean “grew up at Target,” beginning his career 24 years ago as a seasonal team member. Since then, he joined full-time and rose to specialist, team lead and then executive team lead. Today, as property management business partner, he’s drawn on his store experience to keep the building functioning and navigate the many issues that pop up ahead of grand openings.
“We are the fixers,” Sean says. “Anything that goes wrong in a building... I usually get contacted and need to help the store navigate it.”
Our Fuquay-Varina store has been no different, and its status as our 2,000th store meant the spotlight was that much brighter. Helping Sean rise to the challenge? The influence of mentors like Michael R., his first store director. “He had super high expectations, but he led with such care,” says Sean. “He challenged me. He put me in uncomfortable spots, which I learned being uncomfortable was the way that I develop and grow.”
Jana G. also grew up in Target stores, starting as a cashier more than 20 years ago. Today, as lead field implementation business partner, she serves as a bridge between the store team and headquarters, an advocate who smooths the path toward opening day, handling everything from resolving inventory issues to speeding up timelines for fixtures. Jana has helped more than a dozen stores open, and Fuquay-Varina is just one of her latest. It’s a role she doesn’t take for granted.
“One of my directors always told me, ‘If it’s important to your team, it’s important to you,’” she says. “So, I want to make sure that I'm preparing them with the knowledge and the information that they need and then also advocating on their behalf if there’s a concern or something that needs to be addressed.”
Target legacies
Team Target: It’s not just the 400,000 team members around the world who help us deliver an easy, inspiring and friendly experience for guests. It’s also the relationships, support and care that we show each other.
Angela discusses family ties — and growing a team member legacy at Target.
I've got a picture of Harrison in my arms when he was a year old at a store opening. My son, my husband and I in our red and khaki. … I don't know that I imagined at that moment that that would be where he would be today, you know, as [a] team leader in a store. ... I don't know that I ever imagined that we would all be at Target, but I couldn't imagine them being in a better place.
Angela explains what her mentor taught her about leadership.
I learned a lot about building relationships. I learned a lot about gaining respect with the team. Sometimes people think that respect is gained simply through actions. But it's more than the actions. It's the reputation that you bring with you. It's the things that you do every day.
Community connections
A new Target is more than a store. It’s a community support center, strengthening its town with jobs and resources. At Fuquay-Varina, most of the team comes from the surrounding communities.
This includes Zebulun F., executive team lead for service and engagement.
“For Fuquay, it’s putting us back on the map,” says Zebulun, an eight-year Target veteran who served at our Apex, N.C., store before joining the Fuquay-Varina team. He’s most excited about the one-stop shopping and expanded grocery selection, as well as the store’s Disney at Target shop-in-shop (to spoil his nephews). Being closer to home is also a major bonus, too.
It also gives him the opportunity to continue learning from Angela, a mentor since she was executive team lead of HR at our Apex store.
Zebulun shares what Angela taught him about Target culture.
Leading with care is so critical to everything we do, because it fosters an environment where team members want to be there for the guest, want to work for Target. And with Angela, it's just everything she does, every decision she makes, is this the best move for our guests and for the team member?
Our Fuquay-Varina store may be brand new, with Target’s latest, refreshed assortment, open floor plan and conveniences for today’s busy families. But what makes it a destination? The care of its team members, and all the stores that they have learned from before.
We’re hiring our guests. It was really important that we went out there and found team members who are part of this community.
