By January 2020, Novak Construction will have completed over 125 projects for Target Corporation. The majority of these projects have been remodels within prototypical store locations as the customer experience is reformatted and refined. Next year, Novak will construct two additional “Grab and Go” Target locations in Illinois, one in Champaign and the other in Chicago’s North Mayfair neighborhood.
Once known as “TargetExpress,” these small-format stores are 15 percent the size of a traditional Target, now averaging 17,000 square feet. The new focus is digital: customers are likely to find what they want, get in and get out, but If the product is not immediately available, it can be ordered in store or online for next day pick-up or home delivery using readily available technology.
“We are now constructing smaller aisles, installing fewer registers and fewer shelves to accommodate products sold in smaller packages and geared towards customers using public transportation,” said Jim Hempleman, Novak’s project director. “These ‘Grab and Go’ stores are generally situated around college campuses or densely populated urban areas where large chunks of real estate are not easy to find.”
A smaller retail footprint does not necessarily impose any sacrifice on the consumer. As more young players enter the industry and change the format, clients are forced to stay ahead of the digital era by stepping up their game. Technology is used to gather data to provide personalized selections based off of the neighborhoods in which they are sold.
“We’re using cutting-edge technology to make it easier, faster and more convenient for guests to shop Target stores,” said Mike McNamara, Target’s chief information and digital officer.
Novak enjoys an ongoing 18-year partnership with Target Corporation and boasts 85 percent repeat client business. Novak built the first “TargetExpress” store in Illinois, located in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, and an additional location in Hyde Park.
