The Last Days of Target in Canada

[Chilcotin]

An interesting but longer read on how Target failed so miserably when they came into the Canadian market.

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/the-last-days-of-target-canada/

 

[pedro47]

Now I understand why Target stock prices have been down for the couple years. This is one very sad story.

 

[Pardytime]

"Target was again seeking to do the impossible: It was going to set up and run SAP in roughly two years"

"While SAP might be considered best in class, it’s an ornery, unforgiving beast. "

Oh, so true.

 

[happymum]

An interesting read. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Ironwood]

Target was an unmitigated disaster from day one. I'm familiar with one of the stores pictured in the article. I gleaned the article quickly, and there are a couple of issues not dealt with that speak volumes of their tactics. I think the main reason for their failure was not empty shelves and systems issues, but they came to Canada for margin and horribly miscalculated. Border Canadians had been shopping at Target stateside for years and knew price points well. Target's pricing in Canada was noticeably higher that it's stores in the US for the same merchandise and we rejected paying a premium. Walmart who have been well established here for years, met them head on with pricing and Target lost.
The major crime in Target Canada's demise was screwing it's suppliers and staff. It's departing CEO got a payoff that equalled the final wages to it's 17,600 employees. There were all sorts of employment termination horror stories following closing, but I am not familiar whether these issues are still in litigation.

 

[pedro47]

Your next to last sentence in your post is just heart breaking.