Target have done little to quell rumours surrounding the permanent closure of the Tamworth store, as the company looks to significantly reduce it's Australian footprint.
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In recent weeks local social media pages have been awash with speculation of the Peel Street stores closure, with some posts suggesting that local staff have already been briefed on the change.
Target was contacted directly via email and phone by The Leader on Monday, however failed to respond to questions regarding the future of the biggest storefront in the CBD.
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In June last year Target's parent company Wesfarmers, who also own Kmart and Officeworks, announced that they would be closing dozens of their 305 Australian stores, and downsizing several others, to reduce their total footprint by up to 20 per cent.
That decision came on the back of Target running at a loss of $195 million in 2016.
Last year Wesfarmers' CEO of department stores Guy Russo told Fairfax the brand was shifting to a mid-tier boutique along the lines of Uniqlo, Zara and H&M, rather than competing with Kmart and Big W.
“We’re not going to go after size any more, and we’ll just be a nice new boutique retailer that plays in mid-tier, and I’d like to make sure it's a profitable mid-tier business," Mr Russo said.
More recently Mr Russon told investors that staff at closing Target stores could be moved to one of Wesfarmers’ other brands, such as Kmart or Officeworks, but acknowledged this was not always possible in regional towns.
“Where it’s a little sadder is when it’s in the country town and there is no other retailer," he said.
