Flat food and beverage sales were saved by fresh produce efforts, the company said during its second quarter earnings report held Aug. 16.
The company reported $16.4 billion in sales, a 1.6% improvement, with same store sales up 1.3%.
“Comp sales in the food and beverage category have stabilized and were flat in the second quarter,” said Mark Tritton, chief merchandising officer, during the call. “We are seeing improvement based on our work to improve freshness and reliability as well as work on value perception.”
Tritton said fresh produce was a highlight during the quarter.
“In produce, we saw high single-digit comp increases in the second quarter driven by even stronger growth in organics,” he said.
Target also is on schedule for its planned remodels of 600 stores in three years, having completed 42 remodels during the second quarter.
The company also plans to focus new openings on small format, university stores, the company said.