Our group, after much thought, decided to conduct our research on the Target Corporation. This decision was based in part on an interesting class presentation given by one of the Wisconsin store managers, as well as a genuine interest in the company. We've all been to a Target store or one very similar in our lives. Large numbers of Americans shop there on a weekly or biweekly basis, purchasing anything from a loaf of bread to a flat-screen television. The breadth of their product and how they conduct their business is what first attracted our group. Digging deeper, we discovered that Target is much more than just convenient shopping and friendly service. This is a multi-million dollar company that hasn't forgotten about its community and its employees. Target Corporation was founded in 1902, although it was not known as Target Corp. at the time. George Dayton opened Goodfellows in downtown Minneapolis, which is still in the same location today. In 1903 the company changed its name to Dayton Dry Goods Company. This name also did not last long as it was shortened to The Dayton Company in 1910. In 1946 The Dayton Company began the tradition of giving 5% of its profits back to communities and continues to do so today. In 1953 The Dayton Company adopted a new logo by eliminating the word "company" and inserting only the word Dayton's as the new logo. In 1954 Hudson's was opened in Detroit Michigan by JL Hudson who opened the store in Northland Center, the largest shopping mall at the time. In 1956 Southdale was opened by the Dayton Company in Minneapolis; this meant the opening of the world's first fully enclosed two-level shopping mall. The Dayton Company began to venture into discount merchandising with the opening of the first Target store in 1962. Surprisingly, it was not until 1967 that the Dayton Corporation first made a public offering of common stock on the market. The name of the Dayton Corporation changed once again with the merger of the Dayton Corporation with the J.L. Hudson Company. These ties form the new Dayton Hudson Corporation (DHC). In 1971 revenues exceeded $1 billion for the first time. Mervyn's is acquired in 1978 as the nation's seventh largest retailer. Since 1979, Target stores have been the primary revenue producer for DHC.