TGT, §1A diff (2022 → 2023)

We believe that one of the reasons our shareholders, guests, team members, and vendors choose Target is the positive reputation we have built over many years for serving those constituencies and the communities in which we operate. To be successful in the future, we must continue to preserve Target's reputation. Our reputation is based in large part on perceptions, both about us and others with whom we do business, and broad access to social media makes it easy for anyone to provide public feedback that can influence perceptions of Target. It may be difficult to control negative publicity, regardless of whether it is accurate. Target’s responses to crises and our position or perceived lack of position on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters, such as sustainability, responsible sourcing, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), and any perceived lack of transparency about those matters, could harm our reputation. While reputations may take decades to build, negative incidents involving us or others with whom we do business can quickly erode trust and confidence and can result in consumer boycotts, workforce unrest or walkouts, government investigations, or litigation. For example, we have a limited ability to end our relationship with CVS, which leases space to operate their clinics and pharmacies within our stores. If our guests have negative experiences with or unfavorably view CVS or other companies with whom we have relationships, it could cause them to reduce or stop their business with us. Negative reputational incidents could adversely affect our business and results of operations, including through lost sales, loss of new store and development opportunities, or team member retention and recruiting difficulties.

If we are unable to positively differentiate ourselves from other retailers, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

We have been able to compete successfully by differentiating our guests’ shopping experience through a careful combination of price, merchandise assortment, store environment, convenience, guest service, loyalty programs, and marketing efforts. Guest perceptions regarding the cleanliness and safety of our stores, the environmental impact of our business, the functionality, reliability, and speed of our digital channels and fulfillment options, our in-stock levels, the value and exclusivity of our offerings, and our efforts to source merchandise responsibly and ethically are among the factors that affect our ability to compete. In addition, our ability to create a personalized guest experience through the collection and use of accurate and relevant guest data is important to our ability to differentiate from other retailers. No single competitive factor is dominant, and actions by our competitors on any of these factors could adversely affect our sales, gross margins, and expenses.

Our owned and exclusive brand products help differentiate us from other retailers, generally carry higher margins than equivalent national brand products, and represent approximately one-third of our overall sales. If we are unable to successfully develop, support, and evolve our owned and exclusive brands, if one or more of these brands experiences a loss of consumer acceptance or confidence, or if we are unable to successfully protect our intellectual property rights, our sales and gross margins could be adversely affected.

The retail industry's continuing migration to digital channels has affected the ways we differentiate from other retailers. In particular, consumers can quickly and conveniently comparison shop and determine real-time product availability using digital tools, which can lead to decisions based solely on price or the functionality of the digital tools. Consumers may also use third-party channels or devices, such as voice assistants and smart home devices, to initiate shopping searches and place orders, which could sometimes make us dependent on the capabilities and search algorithms of those third parties to reach those consumers. Any difficulties in executing our differentiation efforts or actions by our competitors in response to these efforts could adversely affect our sales, gross margins, and expenses.

2021 Form 10-K7

If we are unable to successfully provide a relevant and reliable experience for our guests across multiple channels, our sales, results of operations, and reputation could be adversely affected.

Our business has evolved from an in-store experience to interacting with guests across multiple channels (in-store, online, mobile, and social media, among others). Our guests are using those channels to shop with us and provide feedback and public commentary about our business. We must anticipate and meet changing guest expectations and counteract developments and investments by our competitors. Our evolving retailing efforts include implementing technology, software, and processes to be able to conveniently and cost-effectively fulfill guest orders directly from any point within our system of stores and distribution centers and our vendors. We also need to collect accurate, relevant, and usable guest data to personalize our offerings. Providing multiple fulfillment options and implementing new technology is complex and may not meet expectations for accurate order fulfillment, faster and guaranteed delivery times, low-cost or free shipping, and desired payment methods. Even when we are successful in meeting fulfillment expectations, if we are unable to offset increased costs of fulfilling orders outside of our traditional in-store channel with efficiencies, cost-savings, or expense reductions, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

If we do not anticipate and respond quickly to changing consumer preferences, our sales and profitability could suffer.

A large part of our business is dependent on our ability to make trend-right decisions and effectively manage our inventory in a broad range of merchandise categories, including apparel, accessories, home décor, electronics, toys, seasonal offerings, food and beverage, and others. If we do not obtain accurate and relevant data on guest preferences, predict and quickly respond to changing consumer preferences, spending patterns, and other lifestyle decisions, emphasize the correct categories, implement competitive and effective pricing and promotion strategies, or personalize our offerings to our guests, we may experience lost sales, spoilage, and increased inventory markdowns, which could adversely affect our results of operations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many guests significantly reduced their spending on dining, travel, lodging, and other leisure activities outside their homes, which may have contributed to our increased sales, particularly for essential items and merchandise associated with guests spending more time at home. If we are unable to effectively adapt if or when guests increase spending on other categories, it could lead to lower sales and adversely affect our results of operations.

If our capital investments in remodeling existing stores, building new stores, improving technology, and expanding our supply chain infrastructure do not achieve appropriate returns, our competitive position, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our business depends, in part, on our ability to remodel existing stores and build new stores in a manner that achieves appropriate returns on our capital investment. Our store remodel program uses a custom approach based on the characteristics of each store and surrounding neighborhood, and is expected to be a continuous part of our operations to allow us to meet evolving expectations for in-store experience, fulfillment, and other changes in our business over time. When building new stores, we compete with other retailers and businesses for suitable locations for our stores. Pursuing the wrong remodel or new store opportunities and any delays, cost increases, disruptions, or other uncertainties related to those opportunities could adversely affect our results of operations.

We are making, and expect to continue to make, significant investments in technology and replenishment and fulfillment infrastructure to improve guest experiences across multiple channels, improve the speed, accuracy, and cost-efficiency of our supply chain and inventory management systems, and support our current and expected sales levels. The effectiveness of these investments can be less predictable than remodeling stores, and might not provide the anticipated benefits.

Pursuing the wrong investment opportunities, being unable to make new concepts scalable, or misjudging our replenishment and fulfillment capacity needs could result in the loss of our competitive position and adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.

2021 Form 10-K8

A significant disruption in our computer systems and our inability to adequately maintain and update those systems could adversely affect our operations and negatively affect our guests.

We rely extensively on computer systems throughout our business. We also rely on continued and unimpeded access to the Internet to use our computer systems. An increase in remote working arrangements by our team members, vendors, and other third parties, which was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has amplified our already extensive reliance on computer systems and on our continued and unimpeded access to the Internet to use those systems, as well as the risks related to that reliance. Our systems are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, malicious attacks, security breaches, catastrophic events, and implementation errors. If our systems are damaged, disrupted, or fail to function properly or reliably, we may incur substantial repair or replacement costs, experience data loss or theft and impediments to our ability to manage inventories or process guest transactions, and encounter lost guest confidence, which could require additional promotional activities to attract guests and otherwise adversely affect our results of operations. We continually invest to maintain and update our computer systems. Implementing significant system changes increases the risk of computer system disruption. The potential problems and interruptions associated with implementing technology initiatives, as well as providing training and support for those initiatives, could disrupt or reduce our operational efficiency, and could negatively impact guest experiences and guest confidence. For example, in the past, we have experienced disruptions in our point-of-sale system that prevented our ability to process debit or credit transactions, negatively impacted some guests’ experiences, and generated negative publicity.

If our efforts to provide information security, cybersecurity, and data privacy are unsuccessful or if we are unable to meet increasingly demanding regulatory requirements, we may face additional costly government enforcement actions and private litigation, and our reputation and results of operations could suffer.

We regularly receive and store information about our guests, team members, vendors, and other third parties. We have programs in place to detect, contain, and respond to data security incidents. However, because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and may be difficult to detect for long periods, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventive measures. In addition, hardware, software, or applications we develop or procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture or other problems that could unexpectedly compromise information security, cybersecurity, and data privacy. Unauthorized parties may also attempt to gain access to our systems or facilities, or those of third parties with whom we do business, through fraud, trickery, or other forms of deceiving our team members, contractors, and vendors.

The increase in remote working arrangements by our team members, vendors, and other third parties also increases the risk of a data security compromise and the possible attack surfaces. Although we conduct training as part of our information security, cybersecurity, and data privacy efforts, that training cannot be completely effective in preventing those attacks from being successful.

Our only significant data security incident was a data breach that occurred in 2013 and went undetected for several weeks. Both we and our vendors have experienced data security incidents since that data breach; however, to date, these other incidents have not been material to our results of operations. Based on the prominence and notoriety of our prior significant data breach, even minor additional data security incidents could draw greater scrutiny. If we, our vendors, or other third parties with whom we do business experience additional significant data security incidents or fail to detect and appropriately respond to significant incidents, we could be exposed to government enforcement actions and private litigation. In addition, our guests could lose confidence in our ability to protect their information, stop using our RedCards or loyalty programs, or stop shopping with us altogether, which could adversely affect our reputation, sales, and results of operations.

The legal and regulatory environment regarding information security, cybersecurity, and data privacy is dynamic, increasingly demanding, and has enhanced requirements for using and treating personal data. Complying with current or contemplated data protection laws and regulations may cause us to incur substantial costs, require changes to our business practices, limit our ability to obtain data used to provide a differentiated guest experience, and expose us to further litigation and regulatory risks, each of which could adversely affect our results of operations.

2021 Form 10-K9

Changes in our relationships with our vendors, changes in tax or trade policy, interruptions in our operations or supply chain, or increased commodity or supply chain costs could adversely affect our results of operations.

We are dependent on our vendors, including common carriers, to supply merchandise to our distribution centers, stores, and guests. As we continue to add capabilities to quickly move the appropriate amount of inventory at optimal operational costs through our supply chain, operating our replenishment and fulfillment network becomes more complex and challenging. If our replenishment and fulfillment network does not operate properly, if a vendor fails to deliver on its commitments, or if common carriers have difficulty providing capacity to meet demands for their services like they experienced at times during 2020 and 2021, we could experience merchandise out-of-stocks, delivery delays or increased delivery costs, which could lead to lost sales and decreased guest confidence, and adversely affect our results of operations.

A large portion of our merchandise is sourced, directly or indirectly, from outside the U.S., with China as our single largest source. Any major changes in tax or trade policy, such as the imposition of additional tariffs or duties on imported products, between the U.S. and countries from which we source merchandise could require us to take certain actions, including for example raising prices on products we sell and seeking alternative sources of supply from vendors in other countries with whom we have less familiarity, which could adversely affect our reputation, sales, and our results of operations.

Political or financial instability, currency fluctuations, the outbreak of pandemics or other illnesses (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), labor shortages, labor unrest and activism, transport capacity and costs, inflation, port security, weather conditions, natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other events that could alter or suspend our operations, slow or disrupt port activities, or affect foreign trade are beyond our control and could materially disrupt our supply of merchandise, increase our costs, and/or adversely affect our results of operations. There have been periodic closings and ship diversions, labor disputes, and congestion disrupting U.S. ports, including those in California where we receive a significant portion of the products we source from outside the U.S. In addition, some vendors have had difficulty supplying us products in the quantities we seek. The combination of port disruptions, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other events in our supply chain have caused us to make alternative arrangements to continue the flow of inventory, and if these types of events recur, worsen, or occur in other countries through which we source products, it may have a material impact on our costs or inventory supply. Changes in the costs of procuring commodities used in our merchandise or the costs related to our supply chain could adversely affect our results of operations.

If services we obtain from third parties are unavailable, disrupted, or fail to meet our standards and expectations, our operations could be adversely affected.

We rely on third parties to support our business, including portions of our technology infrastructure, development, and support; our digital platforms; our replenishment and fulfillment operations; store and supply chain infrastructure construction and remodel program; credit and debit card transaction processing; extensions of credit for our RedCard program; infrastructure supporting our guest contact centers; aspects of our food offerings; and delivery services. If we are unable to contract with third parties having the specialized skills needed to support those strategies or integrate their products and services with our business, or if they fail to meet our performance standards and expectations, then our reputation and results of operations could be adversely affected.

2021 Form 10-K10

The ongoing and evolving COVID-19 pandemic may continue to amplify the risks and uncertainties facing our business and their potential impact on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, with pockets of resurgence and the emergence of variant strains contributing to continued uncertainty about its duration, severity, and lasting impact. Governments have taken various measures in response to COVID-19, including mandating the closure of certain businesses and encouraging or requiring citizens to avoid large gatherings. In addition, we have incurred significant expenses related to efforts to protect the health and well-being of our guests and team members. Nearly all of our stores, digital channels, and distribution centers have remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic, though at times we have had to temporarily alter other parts of our operations, including adjusting our in-store returns process, suspending physical inventory counts at our stores, metering guest traffic, reducing store hours, and, in some locations, restricting access to “non-essential” sections of our stores due to emergency operating restrictions. Those temporary alterations to our operations have at times adversely affected, and could again in the future, either alone or with any negative guest or team member perceptions about the cleanliness and safety of our stores, adversely affect the guest experience, sales, and our results of operations.

Different COVID-19 vaccines and boosters have been developed and are being distributed. As additional COVID-19 response measures, in certain jurisdictions, we are subject to vaccine mandates that apply to our team members, guests, and/or others who are in our stores and other buildings. We may be subject to similar or additional measures as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Our implementation of these mandates and any requirements for showing compliance with them, may result in team member dissatisfaction or unrest, attrition of existing team members, difficulty in attracting new team members, inefficiencies related to team member turnover, increased costs related to ongoing compliance, scheduling disruptions, and negative guest perceptions or experiences, which could adversely affect our reputation, sales and results of operations.

The full extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial position, and results of operations will depend on future developments, many of which are outside of our control, including the duration and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergence of variant strains, the availability, adoption, and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines and COVID-19 testing, and government actions, which are uncertain and cannot be predicted. The fluidity of this situation limits our ability to predict the ultimate impact of COVID-19 on our business, financial condition, and financial performance, which could be material.

Our earnings depend on the state of macroeconomic conditions and consumer confidence in the U.S.

Nearly all of our sales are in the U.S., making our results highly dependent on the health of the U.S. economy and U.S. consumer confidence, which can be affected by a variety of factors, including housing prices, unemployment rates, and inflation. A deterioration in U.S. macroeconomic conditions or consumer confidence, the likelihood of which is made more uncertain by the unknown duration, severity, and lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent increases in the inflation rate, could adversely affect our business in many ways, including slowing sales growth, reducing overall sales, and reducing gross margins.

Such a deterioration could adversely affect additional areas of our business, such as asset impairment evaluations and the amount of credit card profit-sharing revenue payments we receive under our credit card program with TD Bank Group (TD), which owns the receivables generated by our proprietary credit cards. We could also receive lower profit-sharing payments if changes in consumer preferences regarding use of revolving credit cards adversely affect the volume of new credit accounts, the amount of credit card program balances, and/or the ability of credit card holders to pay their balances.

2021 Form 10-K11

Uncharacteristic or significant weather conditions, natural disasters, and other catastrophic events could adversely affect our results of operations.

Uncharacteristic or significant weather conditions, including the impacts of climate change, can affect consumer shopping patterns, particularly in apparel and seasonal items, which could lead to lost sales or greater than expected markdowns and adversely affect our short-term results of operations. In addition, three of our largest states by total sales are California, Texas, and Florida, areas where natural disasters are more prevalent. Natural disasters in those states or in other areas where our sales or operations are concentrated could result in significant physical damage to or closure of one or more of our stores, distribution centers, facilities, or key vendors. In addition, weather conditions, natural disasters, and other catastrophic events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, in areas where we or our vendors have operations, could adversely affect the availability or cost of certain products within our supply chain, cause delays in the distribution of merchandise from our vendors to our distribution centers, stores, and guests, affect consumer purchasing power, or reduce consumer demand, which could adversely affect our results of operations by increasing our costs and lowering our sales.

We rely on a large, global, and changing workforce of team members, contractors, and temporary staffing. If we do not effectively manage our workforce and the concentration of work in certain global locations, our labor costs and results of operations could be adversely affected.

With over 400,000 team members, our workforce costs represent our largest operating expense, and our business is dependent on our ability to attract, train, and retain the appropriate mix of qualified team members, contractors, and temporary staffing and effectively organize and manage those resources as our business and strategic priorities change. Many team members are in entry-level or part-time positions with historically high turnover rates. Our ability to meet our changing labor needs while controlling our costs is subject to external factors such as labor laws and regulations, unemployment levels, prevailing wage rates, benefit costs, changing demographics, and our reputation and relevance within the labor market. Our ability to meet those labor needs could be further strained by expanded laws, regulations, and mandates adopted in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. If we are unable to attract and retain a workforce meeting our needs, our operations, guest service levels, support functions, and competitiveness could suffer and our results of operations could be adversely affected. We are periodically subject to labor organizing efforts and activism, which could negatively impact how we are perceived by team members and our overall reputation. If we become subject to one or more collective bargaining agreements in the future, it could adversely affect our labor costs, how we operate our business, and our results of operations. In addition to our United States operations, we have support offices in India and China, and any extended disruption of our operations in our different locations, whether due to labor difficulties or otherwise, could adversely affect our operations and financial results.

Failure to address product safety and sourcing concerns and meet evolving expectations for reporting on ESG matters could adversely affect our sales and results of operations.

If our merchandise offerings do not meet applicable safety standards or Target's or our guests’ expectations regarding safety, supply chain transparency, and responsible sourcing, we could experience lost sales and increased costs and be exposed to legal and reputational risk. All of our vendors must comply with applicable product safety laws, and we are dependent on them to ensure that the products we buy comply with all safety standards. Events that give rise to actual, potential, or perceived product safety concerns, including food or drug contamination and product defects, could expose us to government enforcement action or private litigation and result in costly product recalls and other liabilities. Our sourcing vendors, including any third parties selling through our digital channels, must also meet our expectations across multiple areas of social compliance, including supply chain transparency and responsible sourcing. We have a social compliance audit process that performs audits regularly, but we cannot continuously monitor every vendor, so we are also dependent on our vendors to ensure that the products we buy comply with our standards. If we need to seek alternative sources of supply from vendors with whom we have less familiarity, the risk of our standards not being met may increase. Expectations from shareholders, guests, team members, and other third parties concerning ESG reporting have increased, and our ability to meet those expectations is dependent on a variety of factors, including cooperation from sourcing vendors and other third parties and having access to consistent and reliable data. Negative guest perceptions regarding the safety and sourcing of the products we sell and the sufficiency and transparency of our reporting on ESG matters, and events that give rise to actual, potential, or perceived compliance and social responsibility concerns could hurt our reputation, result in lost sales, cause our guests to seek alternative sources for their needs, and make it difficult and costly for us to regain the confidence of our guests.

2021 Form 10-K12

Our failure to comply with applicable laws, or changes in these laws could increase our costs, reduce our margins, and lower our sales.

Our business is subject to a wide array of laws and regulations.

Our expenses could increase and our operations could be adversely affected by law changes or adverse judicial developments involving an employer's obligation to recognize collective bargaining units, minimum wage requirements, advance scheduling notice requirements, health care or other mandates, the classification of exempt and non-exempt employees, and the classification of workers as either employees or independent contractors (particularly as it applies to our Shipt subsidiary, a technology company that connects Shipt members through its online marketplace with a network of independent contractors who select, purchase, and deliver groceries and household essentials ordered from Target and other retailers). The classification of workers as employees or independent contractors, in particular, is an area that is experiencing legal challenges and legislative changes. If our Shipt subsidiary is required to treat its independent contractor network as employees, it could result in higher compensation and benefit costs.

Changes in the legal or regulatory environment affecting information security, cybersecurity and data privacy, product safety, payment methods and related fees, responsible sourcing, supply chain transparency, environmental protection, waste management, climate change, or other ESG matters, among others, could cause our expenses to increase without an ability to pass through any increased expenses through higher prices. In addition, if we fail to comply with other applicable laws and regulations, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other anti-bribery laws, we could be subject to reputation and legal risk, including government enforcement action and class action civil litigation, which could adversely affect our results of operations by increasing our costs, reducing our margins, and lowering our sales.

Increases in our effective income tax rate could adversely affect our business, results of operations, liquidity, and net income.

If we are unable to access the capital markets or obtain bank credit, our financial position, liquidity, and results of operations could suffer.

We are dependent on a stable, liquid, and well-functioning financial system to fund our operations and capital investments. Our continued access to financial markets depends on multiple factors including the condition of debt capital markets, our operating performance, and maintaining strong credit ratings. If rating agencies lower our credit ratings, it could adversely affect our ability to access the debt markets, our cost of funds, and other terms for new debt issuances. Each of the credit rating agencies reviews its rating periodically, and there is no guarantee our current credit rating will remain the same. In addition, we use a variety of derivative products to manage our exposure to market risk, principally interest rate fluctuations. Disruptions or turmoil in the financial markets could reduce our ability to fund our operations and capital investments, and lead to losses on derivative positions resulting from counterparty failures, which could adversely affect our financial position and results of operations.