
One of the Illawarra's three Target stores will close its doors for good in two weeks' time.
The discount retail chain's last day of trading in Warrawong Plaza will be January 14, ending its decade-long presence in the shopping centre.
"We're sorry to be leaving the Warrawong community," signs around the store read.
Prices have been slashed by 40 per cent in a bid to clear out the remaining stock, with shoppers seen filling up trolleys full of cut-price clothes and homewares on Saturday.
Staff have known about the closure for about 12 months and were offered jobs at other stores, with both Targets in Wollongong Central and Stockland Shellharbour to remain open.
The Mercury understands a Woolworths supermarket will be moving into the centre, however it's not known if it will fill the same site as Target.
In May 2020, parent company Wesfarmers announced that more than 150 Target stores would either close or be converted to Kmart stores in a major restructuring.
At the time, none of the region's three stores were listed for closure on the Target website and the list has not been updated since to include the Warrawong shutdown.
Wesfarmers said it would shift its focus from the struggling Target brand to Kmart, and also planned to increase its online efforts in a move away from bricks and mortar stores in town centres.
Meantime, Bunnings Wollongong will cease trading on January 26.
There will no closing down sales, with stock to be redistributed to other stores.
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