---
title: "Target’s CEO Explains Why Online Shopping Alone Won’t Cut it for Retail Brands"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/f10d9755-0239-441e-b10c-1ffb916ce39c
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/targets-ceo-explains-why-online-shopping-alone-wont-cut-it-for-retail-brands-2705691
category: "Specialty retail"
industry: "Retail"
segment: "Specialty retail"
topics: ["People"]
published: 2018-02-23T18:13:01.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:09:46.114Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/50985768a398b6ec2e9d3f2059915cd62150.jpg
---

# Target’s CEO Explains Why Online Shopping Alone Won’t Cut it for Retail Brands

**TL;DR:** Target's CEO Brian Cornell emphasizes the importance of investing in brick and mortar locations for retail brands, in addition to having a strong online presence. The majority of U.S. retail sales will still take place at stores, according to Cornell.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2018-02-23. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/targets-ceo-explains-why-online-shopping-alone-wont-cut-it-for-retail-brands-2705691).*

## Story

For retail brands across the globe, the importance of having a strong online presence and e-commerce store is continuing to grow. However, that doesn’t mean that the industry is going to be solely about online sales in the near future. That’s why the CEO of Target, Brian Cornell, told CNBC that it’s still crucial for retail companies to invest in their brick and mortar locations.

During an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Cornell said, “The winning retailers of the future are going to combine great physical assets with the ease that comes along with that digital interaction. For the foreseeable future, the majority of U.S. retail sales will still take place at stores.”

The importance of brick and mortar retail stores isn’t something that’s limited to Target—retail franchises need to focus on the strategy behind their physical locations even as e-commerce continues to become more popular. While neither side of the business can be overlooked, how consumers think and feel upon entering or exiting a store in-person will make or break their overall impression of a brand, which will then determine their level of loyalty.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Retail (sector)
- Target (company)
- online shopping (topic)
- retail strategy (topic)
- brick and mortar (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/targets-ceo-explains-why-online-shopping-alone-wont-cut-it-for-retail-brands-2705691). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/f10d9755-0239-441e-b10c-1ffb916ce39c).