Target Store Construction On Schedule

The land has been cleared and the junior anchor store opened seven weeks ago.

Hernando County's second Target store is still scheduled to open in the summer, even though no visible construction has begun and the process normally takes a full year.

"We are still scheduled for a July 2009 opening," said Target spokesman Steve Linders, who consulted with the regional real estate manager for the giant retailer.

Target paid $3.3 million for 11.75 acres at the Suncoast Shopping Center located along Spring Hill Drive east of the Suncoast Parkway.

A spokeswoman from Regency Centers, the developer of the site, said Wednesday that construction appeared to be on schedule.

Motorists driving by the area see only one store in operation. Kohl's held its grand opening Oct. 1.

Regency has not announced any new retailers for that location.

When it was announced in the spring Target would build a 142,129-square-foot store along Spring Hill Drive, developers said other retailers were looking to move there.

The retail market has since caught up with the rest of the economy.

The Christmas season is not expected to do enough to offset the slumping sales, economists have said.