Huber Heights Target store among first wave to get fresh-food makeover

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Target Corp. stores are expanding their grocery departments to add fresh fruits and vegetables, packaged meats and other food offerings.

The Target store near Interstate 70 and Ohio 202 in Huber Heights is among the first wave of 100 general-merchandise Target stores that are being renovated to accommodate the expanded grocery items, but others will soon follow. Customers of Target’s Sugarcreek Twp. store at 4341 Feedwire Road have been told renovation will begin soon at that location.

Target spokeswoman Jamie Bastian declined to confirm the Sugarcreek Twp. store makeover, saying only that there “are other stores in the Dayton, area that we are looking at refreshing.”

Nearly 900 Target stores currently offer the expanded food layout, and before the end of 2012, the company expects to remodel an additional 230 general merchandise Target stores to incorporate the expanded fresh food layout.

The remodeled stores devote 10,000 square feet to fresh produce, packaged meats, prepackaged baked goods, frozen foods and dry goods, and customer response to the expanded grocery section has been overwhelmingly positive, Target officials said.

“Bringing fresh food to Target means our guests only have to make one stop to stock up on all of their essentials,” Annette Miller, senior vice president of grocery for Target. said in a news release,

Workers are installing coolers and refrigerated display cases at the Huber Heights store, and Roger Doseck, one of the store’s managers, said he expects everything to be in place for a March 25 grand opening of the new grocery department.

Bastian said she does not expect the expanded grocery departments to result in an increase in hiring. “We typically provide additional training to our existing team members” to accommodate the expanded grocery section, she said.

Minneapolis-based Target Corp. operates 1,765 stores across the U.S.