Target takes aim at wellness

MINNEAPOLIS — Target on Monday announced a new core focus on wellness at the kickoff event of its annual Fall National Sales Meeting.

 

“We know our guests care about wellness and are focused on making better choices for themselves, their families and communities,” Laysha Ward, chief corporate social responsibility officer at Target, wrote on the company’s blog. “Through this shift in strategy, we want to improve the health of the nation by making wellness the way of life. We'll get there by making healthy eating, active living and clean-label product solutions (think simple, recognizable, easy to read ingredients and materials) more affordable, accessible and inspiring.”

 

A full range of partnerships and programs dedicated to wellness will be unveiled throughout 2016, Ward promised.

 

“From the ongoing innovation we’re seeing with new products (like Made to Matter) and tests with our in-store cafés to team member wellness challenges and new community initiatives — I’m excited about the things we have coming,” she said. 

 

If Target's focus on education is any measure, the company may have a significant impact in improving wellness for its customer base. Target recently surpassed giving $1 billion for education, Ward reported. 

 

And Target will continue its focus on supporting education, though now through a wellness lense.

 

“We made a significant impact in lifting U.S. high school graduation rates and helping kids reach their full potential,” she said. “Going forward, we recognize the achievement gap persists and we'll design wellness solutions that meet our guests, team and communities where they live, learn, work and play. We'll continue to focus on youth, both in school and out, and leverage current programs like our Meals for Minds in-school food pantry program and Target Field Trips, along with new solutions.”

 

As part of this evolution, Target will be discontinuing the Take Charge of Education program, which has reached more than 120,000 schools since 1997 with more than $432 million.

 

“We are incredibly proud of the contribution we’ve made with the program, but also recognize that our guests have evolved since we started TCOE and the way they want to engage with our giving has also changed,” Ward said. “To ease the transition and ensure schools have resources they need start the 2016-17 school year off right, we are giving a school year’s notice and will provide an additional, unrestricted transition grant to all schools that receive a TCOE payout in February 2016.”