Target expands next-day delivery to 35 top U.S. metro markets in bid to challenge Walmart and Amazon

Target said it will expand its next-day delivery service to 35 of the top 60 U.S. metro markets, extending access to about 54% of the population, up from roughly 20%. The expansion will broaden the service to major markets and come with plans to add another 20 cities by next year. Cities added include San Diego, California, and Orlando and Tampa, Florida, as Target rolls out the capability in progressively more densely populated areas.

Target is moving away from a purely national fulfillment model toward a market-based approach, Chief Supply Chain Officer Gretchen McCarthy told the Associated Press. She said keeping products in more local depots can speed fulfillment without eroding profits, a shift meant to shorten delivery times as demand for online shopping remains high.

The move unfolds in a broader industry context in which Amazon has expanded its own same-day delivery by more than 60% over the past year, reaching more than 140 metro areas and extending service to thousands of rural areas. Walmart has also expanded its same-day and next-day delivery network, reporting 7.1 billion such orders over the previous year and signaling plans to broaden coverage in major U.S. cities. Walmart’s effort has helped push its service to about 95% of the nation’s population.

To support the expanded program, Target will continue to operate 11 short-period warehouses for outgoing shipments. Most orders are coordinated through Shipt, Target’s delivery subscription service, with drivers picking up store purchases and delivering them to customers’ homes. Outside Shipt, orders are handled by national carriers such as FedEx and UPS, and Target is pursuing additional partnerships to speed up deliveries.

The revamp comes as Target faces a period of slower quarterly sales tied to operational challenges and shifting consumer demand. CEO Brian C. Cornell announced earlier this year that he would step down, with Chief Operating Officer Michael Fiddelke set to become chief executive on February 1. Christine Leahy, lead independent director on Target’s board, said Fiddelke’s appointment would pair broad enterprise insight with a fresh, challenging perspective intended to evolve the business model and sustain long-term value.

Analysts have noted that Target’s transformation push began in 2017, and the company has steadily expanded its same-day footprint. By 2029, Target aimed to offer same-day delivery of more than 65,000 items. The strategy gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic, when households shifted more of their shopping online and the retailer began testing an Amazon-style shipping model this year—delivering products directly from factories in a manner similar to online platforms such as Shein and Temu.

Daily Mail has reached out to Target for comment regarding the strategy and delivery locations and is awaiting response.