SuperTarget store to close.
The SuperTarget store on Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell which anchors the East Village shopping center is closing early next year. The 182,000 square foot "Roswell East" store which opened in late 2008 is expected to close its now CVS branded pharmacy next month, followed by the rest of the store in mid-January.
Interestingly, when one calls the Roswell East store, before being given options for departments, the message states that "we are now hiring."
The SuperTarget store on Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell which anchors the East Village shopping center is closing early next year. The 182,000 square foot "Roswell East" store which opened in late 2008 is expected to close its now CVS branded pharmacy next month, followed by the rest of the store in mid-January.
Interestingly, when one calls the Roswell East store, before being given options for departments, the message states that "we are now hiring."
The SuperTarget concept, which is marketed as a "hypermarket" in that it offers baked goods, deli, meats, grocery, produce in addition to typical Target offerings, was rolled out in 1995. Since that time, Target has grown the concept, which features stores of at least 175,000 square feet, but with mixed results.
Industry sources indicate that Target has never been thrilled with the results of many of its SuperTarget stores. Given their size, SuperTarget stores must do tremendous volume to be profitable.
One reader with whom I spoke in preparing this article lives near the Roswell East store and questioned whether Target might consider relocating to the former Kohl's store nearby. The Kohl's store, which closed in June along with one at Northlake Mall in Tucker, is nearly 87,000 square feet and is less than a mile north of the current SuperTarget. Commercial real estate firm Colliers International handles leasing for both centers.
The East Village center is also home to Marshalls (which relocated from the Plaza at Roswell shopping center, now the Frontgate outlet), Rack Room Shoes, Dollar Tree, Taco Mac, a host of other restaurants and shops, and of course, Mattress Firm. There is a large parcel to the right of Marshalls, big enough for a 65,000 square foot junior anchor, that was never developed and is now far less attractive in the wake of Target's departure.
The next closest Target stores for area residents would be on North Point Parkway, which is about 5.5 miles away, and at Holcomb Bridge and Peachtree Parkway, about 5 miles away. The next closest SuperTarget would be the "Roswell" SuperTarget on Woodstock Road, about eight miles away.
In my research for this post, I discovered another SuperTarget slated for closure in Indio, California. Like the Roswell East location, the Indio store is less than ten years old. The Indio store is slated to close by the end of January but local officials are reportedly hoping to change the retailer's mind. Indio's Director of Economic Development Carl Morgan has reportedly begun dialogue with Target's Minneapolis corporate office to see if it's possible for the company to reverse its decisionwith incentives from the city.
Earlier this morning, I contacted Steve Stroud, Executive Director Economic & Community Development for Roswell, Inc. to see if he was aware of the closure and or if he might pursue something similar to Indio's initiative. As of 11:15PM tonight I had not heard back.
The planned closures in East Roswell and Indio could be just the tip of the iceberg for the retailer who may have plans to close other stores that have not yet been publicized.
The East Roswell closure follows other SuperTarget store closures in metro Atlanta including stores in Stone Mountain (2010) and Duluth (2014). Target has also closed stores in Morrow and Lithonia, among others. Target announced plans last November to close thirteen stores by January 31, 2016, none of which were in Georgia.
Remaining SuperTarget stores in metro Atlanta include those in Roswell on Woodstock Road, Suwanee/Johns Creek on Peachtree Parkway, Dunwoody off Ashford Dunwoody Road, and Hiram on Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway, among others.
Are you surprised to see Target closing their East Roswell SuperTarget? Would you like to see the city offer incentives to try and keep the retailer in place? If SuperTarget does close, what would you like to see open in its place?
Please share your thoughts below.