Target Extending Hours

Target Corp. (Minneapolis) is extending operating hours at more than half of its U.S. stores. Target’s typical hours of 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (9:00 p.m. on Sundays) will be extended until 11:00 p.m. or midnight Monday through Saturday and 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. on Sundays. Hours will vary by store. Target spokesman Eric Hausman said the decision was a reaction to shoppers’ requests for longer hours and the often large number of shoppers still in stores near closing time.

While the change is not expected to have a great impact on sales figures, Target hopes the new hours—especially ahead of the holiday shopping season—will help to “turn around a drop in U.S. traffic and in same-store sales that has gone on for more than a year,” reports The Wall Street Journal MarketWatch.