An inviting in-store display. Hmmm.
With the excitement of its forthcoming Missoni line in full swing — or the depths of short-term memories as we wait for the ultrasecret images of the full line to come out — The Wall Street Journal dares to report that "some retail experts [are] questioning whether the cheap-chic discounter is losing its cachet." As the retailer reports meager 2 percent growth in sales in stores open at least a year for the first quarter, and 2.8 percent growth in those stores for the month of May, shares are trading 22 percent lower than a year ago. Meanwhile today, four groups of shareholders protested the annual shareholders meeting in Pittsburgh, unhappy with the company's use of shareholder money to make political donations (such as those that caused Lady Gaga to pull out of her deal with the chain).
Some analysts and Target's CEO say the stores are merely being stifled by the tough economic climate.
But The Wall Street Journal reports:
Adrianne Shapira, retail analyst at Goldman Sachs, said Target has confused its shoppers by emphasizing food and low prices at the expense of its cool image.
And if all the food — audacious refrigerator cases full of it, that probably hum and everything near the one-off fashion lines, no less — weren't dragging them down, the competition might. Department stores like JCPenney and Macy's now have designer collaborations of their own. And anyway, Racked is always posting photos of Target's designer diffusion lines overflowing on racks in various Target stores around the country.
So, is Target still worth a trip to a borough — or New Jersey — for you?
