Lindsay gets one of first Targets, Peterborough still waits

One of U.S. retail giants first 24 stores in Canada will be at Lindsay Square Mall, opening in March or April of 2013

LINDSAY — Lindsay will be among the first 24 locations of Target to open in Canada in March and early April 2013, the U.S. retail giant announced Thursday.

Target bought the leasehold interests of 189 sites currently operated by Zellers and plans to open 125 to 135 stores in Canada, most of which will open in 2013.

The Lindsay location will be at Zellers at 401 Kent St. W. at Lindsay Square Mall.

The company said previously that six to nine months prior to opening a Target store, the major- ity will be closed for significant remodelling. On average, about $10 million will be spent per store.

Under a purchase agreement with HBC, Target obtained the lease agreements for up to 220 Zellers locations across Canada. Target announced in May that 105 locations would be converted to Target stores, including the Zellers in Lindsay.

Target sold some of its other lease agreements, including the one for Zellers in Peterborough at the Parkway Centre plaza at Lansdowne St. W. and The Parkway.

Walmart bought the Peterborough Zellers and is turning it into a Walmart by the end of the year.

This will be Peterborough’s second Walmart — the other one is on Chemong Rd. in the city’s north end.

“We are excited to announce the location of these first 24 Target stores in Ontario,” said Tony Fisher, president, Target Canada.

“In addition to providing Canadian guests with an exceptional shopping experience, Target looks forward to continuing our strong reputation of being a good neighbour in the Canadian communities in which we will do business.”

Each Target store in Canada will employ about 150 to 200 people. Store team hiring will begin in 2012 and Target will engage with Zellers associates to make it easy for them to apply for jobs.

Anyone interested in working for Target can visit www.target.ca/careers to learn more about job opportunities.

Minneapolis-based Target, which has 1,767 stores across the U.S.. intends to announce additional store locations in the coming months.

Whitby’s Taunton Road Power Centre and the Durham Centre in Ajax are also among the first 24 Target locations.

The other 21 locations are in Toronto, London, Hamilton, Newmarket, Aurora, Guelph, Cambridge, Mississauga, Orillia, Brampton, Windsor, Burlington, Milton, Fergus and Waterdown.