Target buys Statesville land, fueling possible North Carolina expansion

A Target store in Statesville would not open with hiring ads first. The company’s $755,000 purchase of 11.28 acres in Gateway at Broad is the kind of land deal that usually comes well before recruiting begins. For workers in Iredell County, the first clues are permits, earthmoving and site plans, not a grand opening sign.

Iredell County records show Target Corp. bought the parcel on May 26, 2026, from Interstate Development Co. The land sits inside the 40.25-acre Gateway at Broad development at 1505 E. Broad St. in Statesville, where demolition was already underway and New South Properties was developing the site on behalf of Interstate Development Co.

If the property becomes a Target, the hiring pattern would likely follow the same sequence seen at other new stores: first the store director and leadership team, then hourly openings as construction and finish work move forward. That is when nearby team members usually start looking for opening-team roles, and when transfers from other stores can open up for team leads and experienced hourly workers who want a new location closer to home. The jobs would likely span the sales floor, front end, fulfillment, backroom, and specialty areas that support a store built to handle both guests and digital orders.

The December 2025 site plan filed with the City of Statesville called for a 128,690-square-foot anchor store, three restaurants, 33,000 square feet of additional retail space and 525 parking spaces. The plan also showed what appeared to be a Target logo and Target-red colors, although city officials would not confirm the retailer. Target had not publicly confirmed the Statesville project then, saying only that it was continually evaluating potential store locations and had no new-store news to share. Developer Robb Collier said nothing had been finalized.

For local workers watching for the real signal, the practical markers are straightforward: site-plan approvals, utility work, grading, exterior branding and, later, Target job postings tied to the Statesville area. A store of this size would also fit the way Target increasingly uses locations as shopping destinations and micro-fulfillment hubs, with the company saying its stores fulfill 95% of digital orders and same-day delivery reaches 80% of the U.S. population.

The land buy also fits Target’s wider expansion push. In April 2026, the company said more than 30 new stores were planned for 2026, supported by a $5 billion capital investment plan, and that it was on track to build more than 300 stores by 2035. Target opened its 2,000th U.S. store in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, in 2026, underscoring how fast the chain is still growing in the state.