Target quietly bulks up in food: eyes no. 2 spot among supercenters.(Cover Story)

So when will Target be taken seriously as a food retailer? The retailer announced recently that it will expand food and consumables operations in its discount stores and surpass 150 supercenters this quarter. Target already generates tremendous sales in edibles, but is billed as a small player with a limited impact on the food retailing business, often overshadowed by Wal-Mart's dominance in the category.

While Target operates only a fraction of the supercenters Wal-Mart does, next year, its supercenter store count should surpass that of Meijer, which currently operates 168 such units. In doing so, Target will become the No. 2 supercenter operator in the United States …