Target to open first Canadian stores Tuesday

U.S. discount giant Target is set to open its doors to customers in Canada for the first time, starting tomorrow in three communities west of Toronto.

Target Canada president Tony Fisher made the announcement during a media tour of the retailer's Guelph store in southwestern Ontario.

The Guelph store and stores in Fergus, Ont. in the Waterloo area, and Milton, Ont. east of Guelph, are slated to launch Tuesday morning.

The fast-tracked openings come as a surprise because Target has publicly said its first 24 Canadian storesall in Ontariowould open near the end of March, though the details have been kept secret.

"We've never publicly said 'This is our grand opening date' ... because we wanted flexibility to make sure we open when we are ready," Fisher said during a question session with the media.

"We expect to have all 24 stores open by the end of March, leading up to our early April grand opening," he said during a question session.

The Minneapolis-based retailer is expected to open between 125 and 135 locations in Canada in spaces that were once owned by Zellers.

After the Ontario roll-out, Target will begin moving onto provinces in the West throughout the year and eventually into Quebec.