What: Target has unveiled its fully redesigned Soho store, using the same assortment as its other locations but curated and merchandised as a discovery destination and testing ground for the wider fleet.

Why it is important: Mass retailers are borrowing the department store's core skills of editing, experience and events, increasing competition for discovery-led shoppers in flagship markets such as Soho.

Target has completed the transformation of its Soho store in New York, a cast-iron building formerly occupied by Hollister & Co. that the retailer took over in 2022. Redesigned with Something Special Studios from November 2025, the two-floor space covers apparel, beauty and wellness, home decor, food and beverage, and toys and collectibles. Every product is available in any Target; only the curation and merchandising differ.

The store is designed as a discovery destination, a social media backdrop and an event venue. Its beauty section encourages creators to film on site, a photo station prints selfies, and events have featured Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods. Target also uses it as a learning ground to observe which trends and products resonate. Around 70,000 people pass the corner of Houston Street and Broadway each day, and the clientele is evenly split between New Yorkers and tourists.

The project comes as Target faces boycott calls over its DEI rollback and its position on ICE activity, alongside complaints about understocked shelves. Second-quarter net sales rose 5.3% to $26.5 billion. According to Target's national awareness study, 60% of consumers who knew the store reported an improved perception of Target.

IADS Notes: The Soho store opened in late 2025 as a design-led test ground built around tastemaker edits, a creator-oriented beauty bar and a selfie checkout, with concepts planned to evolve through 2026 (Forbes, December 2025). Its completion runs alongside Target's largest remodelling programme in over a decade, covering more than 130 stores and 30 openings, with curated displays and dedicated beauty, home and wellness spaces (Chainstore Age CSA, May 2026). The perception figure carries weight in context: the rollback of DEI initiatives and the muted response to ICE incidents had triggered boycotts, a decline in store visits and activist investor pressure on the board (ESG Dive, May 2026). Soho has become a repositioning stage for mass retailers, Walmart having opened a fashion pop-up there built on elevated private brands and influencer collaborations to shift perceptions of its apparel offer (WWD, April 2026). Department stores continue to set the pace in curated, experiential beauty, with Galeries Lafayette's Haussmann beauty and wellness space reaching 450 brands, delivering double-digit growth and accounting for 10% of annual sales (Fashion Network, April 2026).

Target unveils its redesigned Soho store as a curated discovery destination