Target Corporation is an American retail corporation that operates a chain of discount department stores and hypermarkets, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the seventh-largest retailer in the United States, and a component of the S&P 500 Index. The company is one of the largest American-owned private employers in the United States.
The corporation was founded in Minneapolis by businessman George Dayton in 1902, and developed through the years via expansion and acquisitions. Target, the company's first discount store and eventual namesake, was opened in 1962. The company became the Dayton-Hudson Corporation after merging with the J.L. Hudson Company in 1969 and formerly held ownership of several department store chains including Dayton's, Hudson's, Marshall Field's, and Mervyn's. The parent company was renamed the Target Corporation in 2000.
Target is notable for its focus on upscale, trend-forward merchandise at lower costs. Its stores typically sell general merchandise—including clothing, household goods, electronics, toys, and more—as well as groceries. Its name and logo refer to the center of a shooting target, and its canine mascot is named Bullseye. Target expanded throughout the U.S. in the late twentieth century, cementing its place in American popular culture. Its main competitors include Walmart and Amazon. The corporation also operates 41 distribution centers, a financial services division, a global capabilities center in Bangalore, India, and two criminal forensics laboratories.
As of 2023, Target operates 1,948 stores throughout the United States, and is ranked No. 32 on the 2022 Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations by total revenue. It has been consistently ranked as one of the most philanthropic companies in the U.S. Attempts to take the chain international have proved unsuccessful. Target Corporation's headquarters is located on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.

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