Michael Fiddelke, the company’s chief operating officer, will take over as chief executive in February as Brian Cornell transitions to executive chair. The announcement comes at a time Target is trying to emerge from multiple quarters of sales declines.

“The stock price reflects that there won’t be change when change is needed,” Gerald Storch, former vice chairman of Target and ex-CEO of Toys R Us, told The Post. “The sales are negative and they are bleeding market share.” Target did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Fiddelke, an Iowa native and University of Iowa graduate, has been with Target since 2003, starting as an intern. Investors reacted negatively to the appointment, causing Target's shares to drop over 6%. An Iowa native and University of Iowa graduate will be the new top executive of Target, one of the nation's largest retail chains.

In addition to announcing its Q2 2025 results, Target also revealed that it would be getting a new CEO. The company announced that its current CEO, Brian Cornell, will be stepping down from the role in February 2026. On February 1, its new CEO, Michael Fiddelke, will take the reins. Cornell has been Target’s CEO since 2014.

Target has selected a lifelong employee as its next CEO in a bid to revive sales as shoppers turn to the retail giant’s competitors. After more than two decades at the company, joining first as a college intern in 2003, chief operating officer Michael Fiddelke is set for a tenth promotion on February 1, 2026.

(Reuters) -Target needs a hard reset on strategy, Wall Street believes. And new CEO Michael Fiddelke may not be the person to do it. The retailer has missed the performance mark for many quarters, with sales flagging after a pandemic high, as it failed to ...

Shares of Target Corp. slumped 10.5% in premarket trading Wednesday, after the discount retailer said it was replacing for Chief Executive Brian Cornell, who has been in charge for the past 11 years, with current Chief Operating Officer Michael Fiddelke, effective Feb. 1, 2026.