Target to open Myrtle Grove store May 17 amid 2026 expansion push

Target’s Myrtle Grove store is already on the hiring boards, and that matters as much as the May 17 opening itself. The new location at 5623 Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington is listed as “Spring 2026 - Now Hiring,” giving local workers an early look at where the hours, onboarding and first schedules are likely to come from.

The Myrtle Grove store will be Wilmington’s second Target, joining the existing New Centre Drive location, and local coverage places it at the southeast corner of Carolina Beach Road and Piner Road in Monkey Junction. The site is described as a 128,000-square-foot store, a size that points to a full-service operation with the kind of backroom, salesfloor and Drive Up work that usually comes with a new-store ramp.

For employees, a store opening like this can create more than a ribbon-cutting moment. It typically brings a burst of hiring, training and internal movement, especially for team members in the Wilmington area who want to transfer into a building while culture, routines and leadership habits are still being set. The practical questions are the ones workers always ask first: who gets the first schedule blocks, when onboarding starts, and whether the new store creates a better shot at steady hours or a full-time role.

Target’s broader 2026 expansion push shows why the Myrtle Grove opening is part of a much bigger labor plan. On March 5, the company said it planned to open more than 30 new stores this year, invest $5 billion in capital spending in 2026 and add hundreds of millions of dollars in additional store payroll and training. It also said it aims to add more than 300 new stores by 2035.

The company’s new-store fact sheet says each location creates jobs and starts wages at $15 to $24 an hour, depending on role and location, along with tuition-free education assistance. Target also says its stores fulfill 95% of digital orders, a reminder that new openings are not just about stocking shelves but about handling online demand, Drive Up handoffs and same-day service. The retailer says its newest store format has a 92% overall guest satisfaction score, and it has pointed to Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, as the site of its 2,000th store, a 148,000-square-foot format that reflects the company’s move toward larger, service-heavy stores.

Target says it works with local officials and guests when choosing new stores, weighing community needs, site constraints and nearby locations. In Myrtle Grove, that decision now turns into a staffing challenge with a clear deadline, because opening day will arrive with or without a fully trained crew ready to work it.