When Was Target Founded: The 1962 Story Behind Its Start

when was target founded? Target opened its first store in 1962, in Roseville, Minnesota. The company grew out of a much older department store business, which is part of why the founding date sometimes causes confusion.

When Was Target Founded

The short answer is May 1, 1962, according to Wikipedia's entry on Target Corporation. That's when the first Target store opened in Roseville, a suburb of Minneapolis.

It was a discount retail concept created by the Dayton Company, a Minneapolis department store business that had been operating since the early 1900s.

Target the brand and Target Corporation the legal entity aren't quite the same thing, and that gap is where most of the confusion around this question actually comes from.

In practice, most people asking about Target's founding want the store's founding date, not the parent company's, and 1962 is the correct answer for that.

Who Founded Target

George Dayton And The Dayton Company Origins: When Was Target Founded

The lineage traces back to George Dayton, who entered the department store business in Minneapolis in 1902.

His venture eventually became known as the Dayton Company, a family-run retailer that operated for decades before anyone had thought of a discount chain called Target.

The Team Behind The 1962 Launch

By the early 1960s, discount retail was becoming a real growth opportunity across the United States.

Dayton Company executives, including Stewart K. Widdess, developed the Target concept as a new discount format meant to sit apart from the traditional department store model.

The name itself was meant to reflect a simple idea, hitting the mark on price and service, the way an arrow finds a bullseye.

Target's Founding Timeline At A Glance

Target Versus The Dayton Company: Two Different Founding Dates

1902: The Dayton Dry Goods Company Begins

This is the older date people sometimes run into while researching Target's history. It refers to the department store business, not the Target brand itself.

A lot of general reference material blends these two dates together, which is understandable given the shared ownership, but they describe different things.

1961 To 1962: The Target Concept Launches

This is the date that answers the actual question. The Dayton Company approved the Target concept in 1961 and opened the first physical store the following year, as reported by Business Insider.

If someone wants to know specifically when Target was founded, rather than when its parent company started, 1962 is the figure to use.

Why The Name Target Was Chosen

The name was meant to be memorable and to signal precision. Retail branding from that era often leaned on simple, visual metaphors, and a bullseye logo fit that pattern well.

The mascot and slogans came later, but the core naming idea, hitting a target on value and service, goes back to the original 1962 launch.

Target's Early Expansion After 1962

The First Store Outside Minnesota

Target stayed close to home for its first few years. The chain's first location outside Minnesota opened in Denver, Colorado, in 1966, four years after the Roseville store.

Expansion from there was gradual rather than fast, which was typical of how regional discount chains grew during that period.

How Target Corporation Got Its Current Name

The 1969 Merger That Created Dayton-Hudson

In 1969, the Dayton Company merged with the J.L. Hudson Company of Detroit, forming the Dayton-Hudson Corporation.

Target operated as one of several retail businesses under that parent company for the next few decades.

The 2000 Rename To Target Corporation

Target eventually became the dominant part of the business, and in 2000 the parent company renamed itself Target Corporation, dropping the Dayton-Hudson name entirely. Most other store banners under that umbrella were sold off in the years that followed.

How Long Has Target Been In Business

As of 2026, Target has been operating for 64 years, counting from its 1962 founding. That's a long run for a retail concept, and it puts Target's start roughly in the same era as several other major discount chains that also launched in the early 1960s.

Conclusion

Target was founded in 1962 in Roseville, Minnesota, as a discount retail concept created by the Dayton Company. The 1902 date cited elsewhere refers to the older, separate department store business, not Target itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Was Target Founded?

Target was founded in 1962. The first store opened on May 1 of that year in Roseville, Minnesota, under the Dayton Company.

Who Founded Target?

Target was created by the Dayton Company, a Minneapolis retailer, with the discount format developed under executives including Stewart K. Widdess.

Is Target The Same Company As Dayton's?

Not exactly. Dayton's was the original department store business founded in 1902. Target was a separate discount concept the same company launched later, in 1962.

Where Was The First Target Store Located?

The first Target store opened in Roseville, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, in 1962.

What Was Target Called Before It Was Named Target?

Target was not a rebrand of an existing store. It launched under the Target name from the start, created by the Dayton Company as a new discount format.