Is Target wise to focus on food?

A dubious anniversary is coming up. Next Wednesday marks the first anniversary of Target’s opening in Canada. The first three stores, all in Ontario, opened March 5, 2013.

Since then Target has opened more than 120 stores in Canada but it has also been nagged by stocking problems, empty aisles and some consumers grumbling about prices.

So what’s Target doing for an encore this year?

Some experts predict the discounter will double its efforts in food to drive more traffic to its stores.

CIBC analyst Perry Caicco says Target could bring its American PFresh concept (pictured above) to Canada, which means it will start to carry a limited selection of produce and other fresh food.

However, retail analyst Michael Exstein of Credit Suisse wonders whether Target would be better off focusing on clothing and home décor.

“The adoption of the consumables-based strategy is now so prevalent across retailers that it no longer seems to be driving traffic,” he said in the Globe & Mail.

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