Minneapolis-Target Corp. has announced that it is getting out of the garden center business and hanging close-out signs on all the fertilizer and live plant merchandise at garden centers nationwide, including 90 in Florida. “After careful review and consideration, Target has decided to close our Garden Centers,” spokeswoman Jenna Reck advised Green Markets. “This is no longer a profitable business for us and does not provide significant value to our guests. We currently operate 262 Garden Centers, primarily in Florida, California, Arizona, and Nevada.” Reck said the effective close date for the centers will be late September 2010, and it will be business as usual throughout the summer season. Target will continue to carry lawn and patio items in the seasonal section of the stores from January through mid-September. Live plants have not been a profitable business for Target given stronger competition from home-improvement stores, Walmart, and independent garden centers. In some stores, Target is expected to create more room for expanded fresh food, meat, and produce departments that are being added to 350 of its 1,150 stores this year.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain