The Wall Street Journal reports that Target, "faced with slumping sales and stiff competition from rivals, including Amazon," is "cleaning house, shedding some of its stalwart brands and launching more than a dozen new ones over the next 18 months in apparel and home furnishings. To make room, the men’s and women’s Merona line and men’s Mossimo offering will be phased out, having grown too big and homogenized to garner shoppers’ affection, executives say."
Target believes that the moves will encourage shoppers to once again enter its stores, where it is making changes "that it says reflect how customers want to shop today," the Journal writes. "Rampant discounts and promotions, which Target says have diminished customers’ trust in retailers, will be kept to a minimum with the new brands. Thanks to better lighting and more mannequins, displays will resemble a boutique in a mall more than a big-box chain. New racks and shelves will allow for cross-merchandising, like displaying shoes alongside dresses."
Target believes that the moves will encourage shoppers to once again enter its stores, where it is making changes "that it says reflect how customers want to shop today," the Journal writes. "Rampant discounts and promotions, which Target says have diminished customers’ trust in retailers, will be kept to a minimum with the new brands. Thanks to better lighting and more mannequins, displays will resemble a boutique in a mall more than a big-box chain. New racks and shelves will allow for cross-merchandising, like displaying shoes alongside dresses."
- KC's View:
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They'd better do something. I went into the Target store in downtown Portland, Oregon, the other day, and I can only describe the experience as completely uninspiring. There was no panache, no style, no energy. Just stuff on shelves ... and these days, that's not going to cut it.
