Target’s new CEO Fedelke calls the violence painful

Hello team.

And in one week I will officially start as CEO.

We’re about to enter a new chapter for Target, and I’ve been looking forward to starting this work with you for some time, but this isn’t the first message I imagined I’d send.

We’ll have time to talk very soon about our plans for Target moving forward, but for now, as someone raising a family here in the Twin Cities and as a leader of this company in its hometown, I want to acknowledge where we stand.

The violence and loss of life in our society is extremely painful.

I know it weighs heavily on the minds of many of you across the country, as it does with me.

What’s happening affects us not only as a company, but as people, as neighbors, friends and family members within Target.

We do everything we can to manage what is within our control, and always make the safety of our team and guests our top priority.

During my 20+ years at Target, one of the things I’ve loved is how part of the communities we work in.

Since the beginning, we’ve dedicated 5% of our profits and millions of volunteer hours to making them strong, vibrant places to live and work.

In line with this, I met with a group of leaders and this weekend added my signature to a statement using our collective voice to call for calm, constructive dialogue and de-escalation to reduce tension and keep people safe.

As this work continues, and looking ahead to next week, I will spend my first days in the field listening and learning alongside our teams, and then we will come together for an all-team meeting to talk about how we can move our business forward.

Our leadership team is energized, human resources are prepared, and our resources remain ready to provide you with the care and support you need.

Thank you for all you do for each other, our guests and our communities.