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Target Canada had high hopes of "making it big" in Canada.  However, Target Canada has failed to impress Canadians.  Target now apparently has the lowest customer satisfaction of any large company in Canada.

 

Target's executives thought that they would impress Canadians with the same mix they buy for a very different American market -- and at a higher price they would sell to Americans.  But, Target failed to realize, as Kevin O'Leary points out in the above video, that Canadians and Americans have different tastes.  Canada IS NOT some kind of northern extension of America, as Target executives apparently thought.

 

Walmart has successfully appreciated that Canada has its own national identity, that a retailer that seeks to be successful in Canada, cannot ignore.

 

Target has failed miserably to appreciate the historical and on-going distinctiveness between Canada and the U.S. and who were are as Canadians.  Walmart has had a lot more practice in seeking to adapt to a wide variety of "national markets".

 

Target Canada has also failed to properly stock its stores.  How can you have grand openings for stores that are so poorly stocked?   Hudson's Bay still maintains two Zellers stores in Canada.  Maybe Canadians might soon realize that Zellers was much better than they thought, and that Target might have to eventually "cut its losses" like other large U.S. companies like K-mart, AMC and A & P,  and retreat back into the States?  Maybe it's time for Hudson Bay to start thinking of bringing back a revitalized Zellers as Target fails miserably.