Plans include an outlet in Manhattan's East Village

MINNEAPOLIS — Target’s flexible approach to store size and format is evident from the company’s most recently announced store location, which is scheduled to open in 2018 in Manhattan’s East Village neighborhood.

According to Target’s web site, the store will have about 27,000 square feet of selling space, over two levels, and the merchandise on offer will include men’s and women’s apparel and accessories, home, food (with grab-and-go selection spanning sandwiches, salads, beverages and more), health and beauty and electronics. The retailer’s Target Mobile and Order Pick-up services will also be available at the outlet, which will be located at 500 East 14th Street (on the corner of Avenue A) in New York.

Although it dropped its CityTarget and TargetExpress banners last year, the retailer remains committed to its flexible format strategy, which allows it to scale its stores to fit the available property and the needs of the community. The approach also makes it easier for the company to more easily fit into urban markets.

The flexible approach can be seen in the three stores Target is adding in New York this year. In July the retailer opened a store in the Queens neighborhood of Forest Hills.

“A two-level, 21,000-square-foot space, the Queens Target store will be located near a Long Island Railroad transit stop, easily accessible on foot or by car,” the retailer noted before the opening in a blog post. “It’ll be a quick stop for locals to find pharmacy, fresh grocery with grab-and-go food options, basic apparel (think tees, tanks and C9 active wear for men and women), health and beauty necessities, tech accessories, tablets, mobile phones and more. We’ll stock it with a tailored assortment that caters to city dwellers, including home products perfect for single family homes and condos. And to make each shopping trip as quick and easy as possible, we’ll offer easy fulfillment options like Store Pickup, so guests can place an order online and pick it up at the store for free.”

Target is opening a somewhat larger store (45,000 square feet) this fall in the trendy Manhattan neighborhood of Tribeca, and is also planning to add a store with about 100,000 square feet of retail space in the City Point development at 445 Gold Street in Brooklyn.

Target opened five new stores in July. In addition to the Forest Hills, N.Y., location, stores opened in Philadelphia; Allentown, Penn.; Brookline, Mass.; and Chicago. Those stores ranged in size from 19,000 square feet (Philadelphia) to 122,000 square feet (Allentown, Penn.).

This fall the retailer plans to open nine more stores, including the Tribeca and Brooklyn locations mentioned above, and currently 15 new stores are planned for 2017.