Partnership with Latinos

Target opened in 1962, during an era of rapid retail change that fundamentally shifted how and where consumers shopped – and our team was determined to listen and deliver. Today, 50 years later, Target remains as enthusiastic about listening to our guests, and as innovative and adaptable in meeting their needs, as we were on opening day. We pride ourselves on anticipating shifts – in fashion trends, shopping preferences and consumer demographics – and delivering a superior shopping experience that reflects our guests in each community. And we believe this approach is helping us strengthen our affinity with the growing U.S. population of Hispanic consumers.

Connecting with guests starts with creating an environment in which everyone feels welcome. Over the last five decades, Target has continually cultivated diversity of thought, background and experience at all levels of our company, which helps us better understand and anticipate the changing needs of our guests.

Today, every area of our company – from our stores, headquarters and distribution centers to our boardroom – benefits from the influence of Hispanic perspectives. Hispanic senior leaders guide key areas of our business, including healthcare, compliance, employee relations and our health and beauty categories within merchandising. Hispanic group and district managers are responsible for hundreds of Target stores and billions of dollars in business, and store leaders and team members across the country are our key connection to millions of Hispanic guests.

Our team is the passionate force behind the Target bullseye, and we’re committed to supporting our Hispanic team members through our Hispanic Business Council, which provides important cultural and mentoring touch points and excellent opportunities to influence business decisions. At the same time, we’ll continue to recruit and develop outstanding new Hispanic talent, working closely with organizations like the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, the National Council of La Raza and the National Society of Hispanic MBAs.

Diverse perspectives are essential in making our “Expect More. Pay Less.” brand promise relevant to our guests and reflective of their wants and needs – in our merchandise assortment, marketing and media sponsorships, and our community and celebrity partnerships. For instance, Sabrina Soto is Target’s style expert for our home category, Juan Pablo Montoya is a star of the Target Chip Ganassi Racing team, and our new collaboration with music icon Emilio Estefan signifies our ongoing dedication to making Latin music widely available to our guests.

In high-density Hispanic markets such as Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Dallas and Chicago, we tailor our merchandise offering based on external and proprietary market research and ongoing guest feedback – inspiring Hispanic guests with great design, exceptional value and relevant insights into cultural and family traditions. In Los Angeles and Miami, we’ve introduced Hispanic product assortments that span the store, including focus categories such as entertainment, apparel, mom-and-baby, health-and-beauty and food. With all stores in those markets carrying the assortments, we can communicate broadly and enthusiastically to our Hispanic guests – through our weekly ad, radio and TV commercials and bilingual in-store signing – that we have the products and brands they want, all at great values.

And in tandem with creating a superior in-store experience, we’re focusing intensely on delivering a seamless online and mobile experience. A high proportion of our Hispanic guests has embraced mobile technology and, along with all other cross-channel shoppers, is driving rapid and exciting changes in the retail industry. Simply put, serving our Hispanic guests well is a priority for Target and critical to our ongoing growth.

One of our deeply held values is that strong, healthy, safe and vibrant communities are good for our team members, guests and our business – and that our commitment doesn’t end when our guests leave their local stores or our team members go home at the end of the workday. As we have since our earliest days, we give 5 percent of our income – more than $3 million each week – to our local communities, and last year, our Target team members devoted more than half-a-million hours to volunteer service.

We’ve formed partnerships with groups like League of United Latin American Citizens, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the National Museum of Mexican Art, to name a few. And, through programs such as Take Charge of Education and Target School Library Makeovers, we’re on track to give $1 billion for education by the end of 2015. As Target continues to grow, we look forward to strengthening existing relationships, and building new ones, so we can remain a trusted member of our communities.

While we’re very proud of the work Target has done to serve our Hispanic guests and communities in the United States, we’re also committed to continuous improvement. As we expand in new channels and geographies, including markets across Canada and urban centers in the United States, we remain determined to listen, learn, adapt and innovate, allowing Target to continue to meet or exceed the needs of Hispanic households and to drive meaningful benefits for all our team members, guests, shareholders and communities for many years to come.

Gregg Steinhafel is the Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Target.