Bull’s-eye!
Target is planning a miniature store inside City Point, the massive mixed-use development under construction on the site of the former Albee Square Mall. A Target executive said the move is in anticipation of Downtown’s residential boom, with 700 apartments planned in the towers above City Point and 10,000 in the pipeline Downtown.
“People are increasingly moving into city centers and guests want that Target experience they love closer to home,” said Scott Nelson, a senior vice president at Target, in a statement.
The Walmart competitor already has two Brooklyn locations, including one six blocks away at Atlantic Terminal mall. But Target honchos think the smaller store could serve a different market at City Point, on the corner of Fulton Street and DeKalb Avenue.
“Broadening our stores portfolio to include smaller formats brings great design, value, and convenience to our guests in urban communities,” Nelson said.
The so-called “CityTarget” will be smaller than the average Target and will offer an “edited” selection of merchandise targeted towards Brooklynites. It is set to occupy an entire floor of City Point, joining confirmed tenants Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and Century 21, along with a “Chelsea Market-style” food court. Paul Travis, an executive with Washington Square Partners, one of the developers behind the project, said the tiny Target is a fine addition for City Point.
“CityTarget is a great fit for City Point because their mix of merchandise, which is tailored to the urban consumer, appeals to all segments of the Downtown Brooklyn community,” he said.
The tiny Target recalls the possibility of a Smallmart, or Walmart Express, opening in Brooklyn, which loomed in 2011 as politicians battled the big-box retailer with vigor never mustered for its peers. The backlash ultimately kept the extra-large Walmart from opening, but a pint-sized one could still set upshop without special city approval.
