Target Corp. employees who work in merchandising and sourcing were notified Thursday that they will be expected back in the downtown Minneapolis headquarters office three days a week beginning Sept. 2. Other departments have received similar notices in recent weeks as leadership pushes for more face time without issuing a companywide mandate.

Today’s email came from Target’s chief commercial officer Rick Gomez, who oversees the retailer’s entire product assortment from home and apparel to food and beverage, including owned brands, insights, and merchandising. “More time together, in the office, will help us grow our business faster, solve problems quickly, and build stronger relationships,” Gomez wrote in an email that a Target spokesperson confirmed was sent on Thursday. Employees will be allowed to set their own schedules and choose which three days work best for them and their immediate work teams, Gomez wrote.

Target did not share specifics on how many employees received the return-to-office orders today, or how many have gone out to other work groups. “Team members tell us they see the benefit from the in-person connection and collaboration that’s a part of being in the office,” the spokesperson said. “At this point, individual leaders are empowered to make decisions for their teams based on company guidance as well as what’s best for the role they play in our business.”

Target is the second largest employer in downtown Minneapolis, according to the Minneapolis Downtown Council’s 2024 report. Because of its high-profile presence and downtown’s continued struggle to regain a critical mass of daily workers post-pandemic, the company has been closely watched and scrutinized for its liberal work-from-home policy. Some analysts and insiders have blamed Target’s recent performance slump, with first-quarter earnings down nearly 3%, on its largely remote work culture.

“Our goal here is to align around a common expectation that allows us to maximize the potential of our hybrid, remote, and global commercial team and move forward with clarity, connection, and purpose,” Gomez wrote in his email to employees.

For city boosters like Minneapolis Downtown Council president and CEO Adam Duininck, any increased time Target employees spend at the office is good for downtown—and that, he believes, is good for the overall economic health of the metro area.

“The question is, can we get back to 210,000 to 215,000 people downtown daily?” Duninick said. The current max—typically Tuesday through Thursday—is about 70% of that, or about 150,000, he said. U.S. Bank, Xcel Energy, and Ameriprise are among the large downtown employers with workers in the office at least three days a week. “The financial services industry is driving it,” Duninick said. “The engineering and design world is coming back, too.”

Other Minnesota Fortune 500s are moving toward increased office time. Earlier this week, 3M called employees back to the office four days a week starting Sept. 1. General Mills initiated a Tuesday-through-Thursday in-office schedule in February. But both of those headquarters campuses are based in the suburbs, where the fluctuation in traffic is likely less noticeable than it is in downtown Minneapolis. 

“We want to get the basics right and make sure workers have a good, safe experience downtown,” Duninick said. His office is working with small businesses, restaurants, building security details to make sure they are staffed up at appropriate times. “Then it’s about, what else can we layer on top? After-work events, more activations. We’re getting there.”