Company Profile Target Corporation was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Target Corporation operates general merchandise and food discount stores in the United States. It operates as two reportable segments: Retail and Credit Card. The company offers household essentials, including electronics, music, and toys; apparel and accessories; home furnishings as well as seasonal merchandise. It also sells its merchandise under private-label brands, such as Archer Farms, etc. Target Corporation operates in-store amenities, such as Target Caféand Target Clinic as well. Its marketing strategy includes selling its products on its online shopping site Target.com and its network of distribution centers. As of June 2, 2010, it operated 1,740 stores in 49 states and the District of Columbia covering 231,941,000 square feet, and has more than 351,000 employees across the United States. Target Corporation’s main competitors are Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), and Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST). According to its 10-K annual SEC filing, 88% of shares are held by institutional and mutual fund owners. The five largest shareholders of Target Corporation are Gregg W. Steinhafel, Kathryn A. Tesija, Douglas A. Scovanner, Richard M. Kovacevich and John D. Griffith. Segment Performance Target operates as two reportable segments: Retail and Credit Card segments. According to Target’s 10-K annual SEC filing, Target Corporation’s retail segment contains service of merchandising operations, and associate with online services. Its credit card segment gives qualified clients credit cards, such as Target
Visa and the Target Card. According to Target’s 2009 annual report, the “performance in our Retail Segment was remarkable, as the segment generated the highest EBIT in the Corporation's history. In the Credit Card Segment, disciplined management led to a 29.4 percent increase in segment profit.” This is a very positive
Cited: 1. Target Corporation (TGT) annual report, November 20, 2010. 2. Target Corporation SEC filings: Annual report which provides a comprehensive overview of the company for the past year, November 20, 2010. 3. Target Corporation overview, November 20, 2010. 4. Target’s Major Direct Holders, Yahoo Finance, November 20, 2010. 5. Target’s Direct Competitor, Yahoo Finance, November 20, 2010. 6. Google Finance 7. Forbes.com