NEW YORK -- In a move to bring shoppers back to its stores, Target is embarking on an ambitious redesign aimed at helping people who need to dash in for milk to get out quickly while encouraging those who want to wander the aisles to linger.
The new layout was unveiled Monday by CEO Brian Cornell in Las Vegas. It will feature a separate entrance and 10-minute parking for shoppers looking to pick up an online order or some essentials.
New center aisles will be curved rather than squared off to inspire people to explore, said Mark Schindele, senior vice president of Target Properties.
LED track lighting will replace fluorescent fixtures, and brand boutiques meant to replicate a specialty-store feel will showcase rotating looks.
The first of the redesigned stores will open in suburban Houston this fall.
About 40 more stores will get the remodel treatment by October, using the Houston prototype as a template.
More than 600 of Target's 1,800 total locations are scheduled for updates over the next three years. It expects the remodeled stores to see a 2 percent to 4 percent sales bump.
"We wanted the design to be flexible because that is what shopping is all about," Schindele told The Associated Press.
The remodeling is a key part of Target Corp.'s strategy to win back shoppers and rev up sales.
Unlike rival Wal-Mart, which has drawn more customers and notched higher sales at established stores, Target has seen three straight quarters of declines for that sales measure, and fewer shoppers in its stores.
Investing in stores is an acknowledgement the in-person experience remains important, even as Amazon and other online retailers draw shoppers away from traditional retailers.
At an investor meeting last month, Target executives spoke bluntly about the shabbiness of many of the chain's stores.
It pledged to spend $7 billion on the remodeling plan and to accelerate its expansion of small-format stores, bolster its online operations and launch new brands.
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