Target is plotting its first new San Antonio super store in more than a decade — and it’s a doozy. The Minnesota-based retail giant is eyeing the southwest corner of Marbach Road and TX-1604 for a $21 million megacenter filled with 148,356 square feet of groceries, towels, and various tchotchkes from Chip and Joanna Gaines.
To put the size in perspective, the average Target store is 125,000 square feet. But big box construction has been waning with the rise of e-tailers like Amazon and shifting customer preferences. Like competitor Ikea, Target has lately been experimenting with much smaller locations near college campuses and in cramped urban corridors. According to retail industry news site Chain Store Age, some of those outlets are as small as 20,000 square feet, roughly the size of two Cheesecake Factories.
Despite the filed project details with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), a spokesperson neither denied nor confirmed that the store was in the works, instead pointing to a long list of other upcoming projects.
“We are continually evaluating potential store locations to serve new guests, but I don’t have any new-store news to share at this time,” said the rep via email.
Due to various strategic reasons, corporations are notoriously tight-lipped about announcing new locations too far in advance, and TDLR filings are no guarantee that construction will soon be underway. However, it is rare for large chains to start the process without a real intention of opening.
If completed, the new store will be the chain’s first San Antonio outpost since 2012. The Target will take advantage of westward sprawl, which is attracting giant developments like Portico at Schaenfield Ranch. The TDLR paperwork says the retailer will anchor a new development, although no details have emerged.
After shuttering two stores over the past decade, Target currently operates 14 locations in San Antonio. According to the state records, the newest Target is set to finish construction by March 2027.