Target sees opening in other retailers' travails

MINNEAPOLIS - As he looks to revive Target Corp.'s faltering business, CEO Brian Cornell said last week the retailer will more aggressively pounce on opportunities to profit from the large number of store closings and retail bankruptcies that have been rocking the distressed industry.

"We know there's going to be billions of dollars up for grabs," he told reporters after the Minneapolis-based retailer reported its fourth straight quarter of lower sales.

In fact, Target projects there could be as much as $60 billion in sales up for the taking as weaker players exit the industry. Gordmans, HHGregg, BCBG, Payless ShoeSource, Warrendale-based rue21, American Apparel, the Limited, and Wet Seal are among those that have filed bankruptcy and closed some or all of their stores this year.

"Ultimately, that's going to position us to take advantage of this market-share opportunity," Cornell said.

The strategy is an underpinning of Target's new road map unveiled in February that calls for remodeling hundreds of stores, launching a dozen new brands, opening new smaller-format stores, and overhauling its supply chain.

Target already has seen some success in this area. After Victoria's Secret said it was going to exit the swimwear business last year, Target quickly worked with a vendor to roll out within five months the new brand Shade & Shore.

The line - which is Target's first foray into bra-cup sizing in the category and was launched in all stores in January - has further bolstered its No. 1 market share position in swimwear, executives said.

"We didn't rest on our laurels," Mark Tritton, Target's chief merchandising officer, told analysts. "We looked at this market with declining players and saw an opportunity to win even further."

Executives noted that Target also has seen an uptick in sales at stores near Macy's, Sears, and J.C. Penney locations that have closed in recent months.

Still, Brian Yarbrough, an analyst with Edward Jones, noted that these store closings and bankruptcies also will create headwinds at the same time because the liquidation sales will likely draw some shoppers away from Target.

"That pressure is not going to go away for a while," he said. "It's going to continue" as more retailers continue to file bankruptcy.

In addition to hopping on competitors' stumbles, Target executives also told analysts on Wednesday they are working to simplify and better market the retailer's move toward everyday low pricing. This year, Target is lowering its margins by $1 billion to invest in initiatives such as cutting prices to be more competitive with Wal-Mart and Amazon.

It recently launched a new ad campaign called "TargetRun and Done" to highlight its pricing on essentials and encourage customers to swing by for fill-in trips. Executives hope that will help consumers give Target more credit for its pricing.

"We believe consumer perceptions of value at Target have not reflected how low our out-the-door prices really are," said Cornell, who noted that is something that will take time to change.

Target's stock, which has fallen more than 20 percent this year, got a little boost on Wednesday when the retailer reported that sales and profits in the first few months of the year were not as bad as the company - or analysts - had feared. Its shares rose 1 percent.

This year, Target is on track to remodel 100 stores - with a forecast of 2 to 4 percent sales gain for each store afterward - and to open 30 new small-format stores. It will pick up the pace and do even more in following years.