Target unveils SoHo store concept featuring curated beauty, apparel

Dive Brief:

• Completing the first phase of a larger remodel, Target opened its new design-focused SoHo store in New York City on Tuesday, per a company press release. The retailer initially announced the phased redesign plan in September. 
• The store concept features a rotating showcase of seasonal styles on the first floor called “The Drop,” a “Broadway Beauty Bar” with changing selections curated by beauty influencers and a “Gifting Gondola” for the holidays with exclusive Target-branded merchandise.
• Target’s updated space also includes a seasonal edit called “Curated By” which features selections in partnership with influential people, starting with comedian and actress Megan Stalter. The store also has a “Selfie Checkout” spot encouraging customers to take photos with their haul. 

Dive Insight:

Target’s updated location in New York City will continue to evolve throughout 2026 and beyond. The SoHo spot will eventually debut experiential areas, as well as cafe and event programming.

“Style and design are part of Target’s DNA, and there’s no better place for us to showcase what’s next for our brand than in one of the style capitals of the world,” Cara Sylvester, chief guest experience officer at Target, said in a statement. “This store is a bold reflection of our commitment to style, and it’s just one part of our larger investment in Target’s design-driven future that grows our roots even deeper in New York City.”

The new store format — which went from concept to completion in just four months — debuts under the leadership of incoming CEO and current COO Michael Fiddelke. While Fiddelke will officially take on the chief role in February, he’s quickly becoming the leading voice for the company during earnings calls and for any company announcements. 

Fiddelke has set out to recapture Target’s “design-led merchandising authority,” as he described it when recapping his core priorities on a Q3 earnings call in November.

“We are a design-led company. And that starts with our authority and merchandising,” Fiddelke told analysts. “Our ability to build a unique assortment of the right, stylish, on-trend products at incredible value — that’s so central to who we are and key to our differentiation and future growth.”

Winning back the dollars of consumers through such initiatives is how Target hopes to turn around the business.

Its third quarter earnings added to a pattern of declines across net sales, comps and earnings. The company in November announced it would invest an additional $1 billion into the business in 2026, using a total of $5 billion in capital expenditure to “support new stores and remodels, enhancements to the store experience and advancements in technology and digital fulfillment capabilities.”