Target’s Buckhead South store serves people all across Atlanta who live, work and shop in the community. At the store, we do more than provide groceries and essentials: We aim to build genuine connections between our team and our guests so they feel joy and pride when they visit.

That’s why it was hard, for our team and for guests, when the store closed in May after it was damaged during the racial justice demonstrations in our city after the murder of George Floyd. That’s why it was a priority to rebuild the store as soon as possible — and that’s why I’m happy to announce the store will reopen in mid-November.

While most of the team has been working at other area stores over the past several months, they are so eager to get back to Buckhead South. When guests come back to the store, they’ll recognize people like Tati Moore, our specialty sales team leader. In recent months, Tati has worked at another store alongside several of her Buckhead South colleagues because she knew she could make a difference mentoring the team at this store. But she is ready to serve the community she loves at Buckhead South and is already back at the store preparing it to open. They’ll also see Store Director Stephen Pearl, who has led his team with positivity and resilience and has heard from so many guests that they’re excited to get back to Buckhead South. At a store where guests and team members know one another and their families, Stephen takes great pride that shopping at Buckhead South isn’t just a transactional experience — it’s a community experience.

When those guests walk into the store for the first time next month, they’ll find a store that is even more tailored to their needs. We’ve built more capacity to accommodate order pickup and drive-ip orders, as these services have risen in popularity for guests who want easy and convenient shopping options. Enhanced beauty and electronics areas will create inspiring shopping experiences. We’re also making it easier for guests to navigate the store safely with features like automatic door openers to the restrooms and water bottle filling stations. As we head into the holidays, we have taken numerous measures to keep everyone safe, including adding more dedicated front-of-store team members to disinfect carts, provide masks to guests who need them and help meter access so guests can maintain a safe distance during their holiday shopping trips.

We know investing in the physical store is just the beginning. Our commitment to supporting the community will continue to be our bullseye. Last year, Target gave more than $2.3 million in charitable donations to the Atlanta market, including 1.2 million pounds of food. We serve the community inside and outside our stores. Our team — people like Tati and Stephen — volunteered more than 5,400 hours in 2019 to serve community needs.

One of those community needs is to continue to promote social justice and racial equity. We know it’s essential for Target to play a role, and Atlanta has been a place where we have recruited and nurtured local talent who have found careers at Target. Our store, and others in the area, have a track record of producing leaders for the company. Similarly, we are committed to continuing to support local Black-owned brands and working with partners that provide opportunities for all. We will continue to enhance our assortment to meet local guests’ needs, including adding more Black-owned brands. As we rebuilt the store, we had help from ConstructReach, an organization that helps diverse young adults gain valuable work experience in the construction industry to jump-start careers.

My commitment to the Atlanta market is that we will continuously look for ways to listen, learn and support our guests and neighbors. This commitment will continue long after the store reopens because we recognize that it takes all of us to foster a community built on strength, compassion and joy.

We can’t wait to see you again at Buckhead South.

Ronald Brown
Group Vice President
Target

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