The retail landscape in Victoria just got a whole lot bigger this week, as the first of two new Target department stores prepared to open its doors.
The store at Tillicum Centre, which took over the space previously occupied by Zellers, is scheduled to open Tuesday morning. The two-floor, 121,000-square-foot store is one of 22 Target locations set to open this week in Western Canada, including nine in B.C. alone.
Tony Fisher, president of Target Canada, said the intention is to make the stores "a one-stop-shop destination" for guests, as locations include such features as a grocery section, pharmacy and an in-store Starbucks.
In January 2011, a $1.8-billion deal was announced by the Hudson's Bay Company to sell Zellers stores to the American retailer.
Each former Zellers location underwent (or is undergoing) a $10- to $12-million renovation to transform the space into Target.
A second Target location in Victoria, at Hillside Centre, is still under construction as part of that mall's expansion. That store, set to open by May 2014, will be some 150,000 square feet over two levels.
– with files from Janis Warren
kslavin@saanichnews.com