Target to remodel five Chicago-area stores as part of broader overhaul

The biggest change for Chicago-area Target teams is not the new paint or fresher signage. It is the way five stores, including two in the suburbs, will have to keep selling, stocking and handling guests while layouts shift, grocery expands and self-checkout areas are updated.

Target said the five remodels are part of roughly 130 stores being refreshed companywide. The changes can include more intuitive floor plans, expanded assortments, bigger grocery sets, larger fresh and frozen food sections in some stores, modern decor, expanded pickup and drive-up support, updated self-checkout lanes and designated nursing spaces. For store leaders, that means more than a visual reset. Planograms move, traffic patterns change and guest questions tend to spike when familiar departments are moved or compressed. It also means front-end teams, fulfillment workers and replenishment crews will need tighter coordination as construction zones and merchandising changes overlap with normal traffic.

The company has tied those local projects to a much larger overhaul. In its March 3 strategy update, Target said it planned an incremental $2 billion investment in 2026, including more than $1 billion in capital spending and $1 billion in operating investments. Target also said it would make more changes inside stores than in any year in the last decade, with at least 130 full-store remodels planned. The company said it expected to spend about $5 billion in capital this year, open more than 30 new stores and add more than 300 stores by 2035.

Target is also using the remodel push to sharpen its mix. The company said it will launch Target Beauty Studio in more than 600 stores and is putting more emphasis on home, beauty, baby, food and beverage, health and wellness and women’s style. In Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, Target has already shown where it wants stores to go next: a food and beverage department 30% larger than the chain average, 24 Drive Up pickup lanes, Order Pickup, same-day delivery and next-day delivery across the Raleigh market, plus CVS Pharmacy, Starbucks and Disney in the building.

For Target workers, that is the real question hanging over the Chicago remodels. Past remodels have often promised easier shopping and stronger sales, but they also bring weeks of disrupted backrooms, shifting priorities and more pressure on already stretched teams. If these upgrades do what Target says they should, they could improve guest flow and make fulfillment cleaner. If not, they will be another round of operational strain dressed up as modernization.