• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns

2

Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026

3

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

1

Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns

2

Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026

3

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
Retail

Target may ditch junk food at the counter

Phil Wahba
By
Phil Wahba
Phil Wahba
Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
Phil Wahba
By
Phil Wahba
Phil Wahba
Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 16, 2015, 8:52 AM ET
Inside A Target Corp. Store Ahead Of Earnings Figures
Photograph by David Ryder — Bloomberg via Getty Images

Target (TGT) will soon start placing healthier foods near its cash registers at some stores and putting other snacks and soda elsewhere, a move aimed at bolstering its efforts to tap Americans’ growing interest in healthier wares.

The test, starting next month at 30 stores, will mean that items like KIND bars and Target’s Simply Balanced nutrition bars will get prime space in a part of the store where people make impulse purchases. The goal is to nudge shoppers toward healthier items as part of Target’s broader strategy of winning a bigger piece of the wellness pie that everyone is now chasing.

“There’s both a huge business opportunity here and a bit of a moral imperative,” Christina Hennington, SVP of merchandising told reporters on Tuesday at a briefing ahead of Target’s fall national meeting. “Our ultimate goal is to improve the health of the nation.”

Behind such a lofty goal is big business.

Wellness, which includes things like nutritious foods and athletic wear, is one of four categories that Target CEO Brian Cornell (himself a fitness nut who works out twice a day) has made clear he wants his company to win, along with style, kids and baby items.

In the second quarter, comparable sales growth in those areas were about 7%, three times better than the retailer’s overall performance. And success here is critical to differentiating itself from rivals like Walmart (WMT) and others, which are also doubling down on wellness.

An earlier, ongoing effort by Target to tap this growing area has done well: Made to Matter, a collection of 31 different healthier, more socially-conscious products that include GMO-free food and body wash, are on pace to hit $1 billion in sales in this third year since Made to Matter was launched. That’s a relatively small sliver of Target’s $75 billion in annual sales, but growth has been 30% in 2015.

The ultimate trick for Target will be to nudge customers without sounding like a nagging parent.

“They don’t want us to be preachy and they don’t want us to tell them how to live their life,” said Hennington.

Still, Hennington and Target have been using employees as something of a test market. At its cafeteria in headquarters, Target has seen a big difference in behavior since it started providing the calorie count for different items, she said. (Target also gives all of its employees a free original Fitbit, or a deeply discounted one if they prefer a new model.)

Competition is coming from all directions. Target’s efforts to direct customers to healthier food echoes those of CVS Health (CVS), which is moving junk food to less prominent parts of the store at 500 of its location. (CVS is in the process of buying Target’s pharmacy business, a deal expected to close in a few months.) Walmart also is ramping up its organic offerings, and Kohl’s (KSS) is in the mix by creating prominent space for athletic wear and Fitbits (FIT).

“Lots of competitors are going after similar spaces,” Hennington recognized. While Target had nothing specific to announce this week, Hennington did say some partnerships with other companies and organizations were in the works to help it differentiate its efforts.

With obesity rates being what they are, and life expectancy stagnating, Target says its current and prospective customers are more mindful than ever of what they put in and on their bodies, presenting an opening.

The art will be to find just how far it can push. Hennington says Target can gently steer people, like it is trying to do with the upcoming test.

“In order to enable a set of better choices, we feel like we need to make the healthy options the default option,” Hennington.

About the Author
Phil Wahba
By Phil WahbaSenior Writer
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Phil Wahba is a senior writer at Fortune primarily focused on leadership coverage, with a prior focus on retail.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Retail

Courtney Robinson, head of policy and communications, at Akoya speaks on a panel at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026.
RetailBrainstorm Tech
AI shopping agents are coming. No one is ready for them
By Jeremy KahnJune 12, 2026
18 hours ago
‘Buy a ticket for 60 bucks and resell it for $6,000’: NYC Mayor Mamdani criticized FIFA’s resale market, but his jersey drop created the same thing
North AmericaNew York City
‘Buy a ticket for 60 bucks and resell it for $6,000’: NYC Mayor Mamdani criticized FIFA’s resale market, but his jersey drop created the same thing
By Catherina GioinoJune 12, 2026
20 hours ago
DoorDash wants you to stop scrolling and just tell its new AI chatbot what you’re hungry for
RetailDoorDash
DoorDash wants you to stop scrolling and just tell its new AI chatbot what you’re hungry for
By Dave Lozo and Morning BrewJune 12, 2026
24 hours ago
Warehouse workers with robot
SuccessJobs
Walmart has a message for its 2.1 million workers: AI is going to improve your job, not take it: ‘Technology will power our future’
By Emma BurleighJune 12, 2026
1 day ago
Agility Robotics Chief Executive Peggy Johnson speaks on stage at Brainstorm Tech 2026 in Aspen, Colorado.
AIBrainstorm Tech
Tech leaders argue AI’s real future Is task augmentation, not mass layoffs
By Sebastian HerreraJune 11, 2026
2 days ago
visa
AIVisa
Visa thinks it’s a great idea for AI agents to shop and pay for things without human approval
By Barbara Ortutay, Ken Sweet and The Associated PressJune 11, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
Real Estate
Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
By Sydney LakeJune 13, 2026
9 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 12, 2026
1 day ago
Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
Environment
Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
By Catherina GioinoJune 9, 2026
4 days ago
Anthropic disables Fable and Mythos AI models after U.S. government bars it from giving foreigners access
AI
Anthropic disables Fable and Mythos AI models after U.S. government bars it from giving foreigners access
By Jeremy KahnJune 13, 2026
14 hours ago
U.S. energy secretary says 7 million barrels of oil exiting Persian Gulf daily, but Chevron CEO rebuts the claim
Energy
U.S. energy secretary says 7 million barrels of oil exiting Persian Gulf daily, but Chevron CEO rebuts the claim
By Jordan BlumJune 12, 2026
23 hours ago
American taxpayers have spent $33 billion on sports stadiums. They got fewer seats—and higher prices
Success
American taxpayers have spent $33 billion on sports stadiums. They got fewer seats—and higher prices
By Catherina GioinoJune 11, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.