Target to open Market East-area store in 2016

Target Corp. is planning to open a 19,000-square-foot shop at 12th and Chestnut streets in July 2016, company spokeswoman confirmed to Philly.com Wednesday.

The disclosure comes after the company confirmed in June that it would open a store in the Rittenhouse Square area.

Target plans to lease space at the site being developed by Brickstone Cos. in the Market East area. 

The new store will occupy the ground floor of a former department store and some newly built space, Brickstone managing partner John Connors told Philly.com.

Target is entering central Philadelphia - along with densely populated parts of Chicago, the San Francisco Bay area, Brooklyn, N.Y., and other urban locations - with smaller versions of its big-box outlets, identified by the company until recently as "TargetExpress" locations. The planned Market East-area store will be about 14 percent the size of a typical Target.

"We expect this will be a store for the neighborhood, designed to serve those who live and work in the area," Target spokeswoman Erika Winkels told Philly.com. "We know there is a lot of growth in the area, and we're excited to be bringing Target to the community."

The new store will include a pharmacy and a Starbucks cafe. It will also offer in-store pickup for online orders.