While there is still no word on when the new Target store will open up on Stone Road, shoppers should not be surprised if the store appears to be more active than some of its sister stores in other Canadian towns and cities.
That’s because the Guelph store has been chosen as a training store for new target employees.
“The facility is being used as a training and testing facility and there are team members from outside of Guelph and at all levels being trained,” said Target spokesperson Lisa Gibson of the Guelph store.
The store replaces a Zellers store that closed last summer after the U.S.-based retail chain bought the majority of the Canadian department store locations. Officially, the Guelph store will be open sometime in the spring, but an exact date is still unknown.
“We haven’t shared timing on when the stores will open,” said Gibson in an email to the Tribune.
But it seems the store might be one of the first in Ontario to open.
“We are actually using the Guelph store to determine store readiness,” said Gibson, explaining that the store is also being used to test systems and processes as well as training employees. All the hiring has also been done for the local store; although applications won’t be turned away, Gibson said.
“The team has been hired for Guelph, however we are always looking for good talent,” she said.