Target opens 3 Calgary stores

The American chain store Target opens its first outlets in Calgary on Tuesday.

Roughly 30 people waited outside the Market Mall location to be among the store’s first customers. Chinook Mall and Forest Lawn locations also opened Tuesday morning.

The U.S. retailer moved into Canada earlier this year with its first stores opening in Ontario.

Target is known for its low priced apparel, a market segment that has been under scrutiny after the recent deadly factory collapse in Bangladesh.  

John Morioka, vice-president of Target Canada, said the company is very careful about where it gets merchandise.  

"Target Corporation has an internal sourcing organization that really helps us to make sure that we're doing business with factories that are certified and have strong ethical standards as well as working conditions. So we haven't been a part of that particular incident," he said.  

Some shoppers in Ontario have complained that prices in Canada are higher than the U.S.

But Morioka said Target is focused on competing within Canada by offering competitive prices compared to other Canadian retailers.

"That's the market we're competing in and all of the independent studies that have been out there on the Ontario market have had us really competitive in the marketplace," he said.

Target is opening 10 locations in Alberta on Tuesday. The company hopes to have 124 stores across Canada by the end of the year.