December 19, 2015
Target Corp. is set to open a third store in Center City Philadelphia, according to reports.
The Philadelphia Business Journal reports that the new location will replace the outgoing Whole Foods Market at 2100 Pennsylvania Ave. near the Art Museum.
Whole Foods is relocating in that section of the city to an upcoming mixed-use development property on 22nd Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Hamilton Street.
Target, meanwhile, has signed a lease to occupy the 30,000-foot location the grocery chain is leaving, the Journal reports.
Target already has two other upcoming locations in Center City planned for 2016, with one shop at 12th and Chestnut streets and an express store at 19th and Chestnut. Both are slated to open in July.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the company's blitz in Philly is part of a broader push in urban areas. Here's what a Target spokesperson told the newspaper:
"The strategy is to have stores within the neighborhoods and provide what the residents need - be it grab-and-go, groceries, lunch items, or apparel and home items that are expected from Target.
"Guests in urban areas tend to travel great distances to get to a Target," she said. "We are bringing the store to them and meeting them where they are."
All three stores are described as "flexible format stores," the Inquirer reports, which means they will put more of a focus on online pickups of items ordered on Target.com.
The new Art Museum location is expected to open by October 2017.
