Beginning in October, Target will roll out the Freshii fast-casual concept in nine stores; Pizza Hut will open restaurants in three stores; and D’Amico & Sons will open up its concept in two Minneapolis stores.
Nearly 1,700 out of Target’s nearly 1,800 stores have cafes. In the test markets, the cafes will be replaced with a Freshii, a Pizza Hut or a D’Amico & Sons.
The test is the first major change to Target’s food strategy, which got under way shortly after CEO Brian Cornell took over the company a year ago. One of Cornell’s priorities for the retailer is food and offering natural and organic products as well as local brands.