Wall Street had hoped the big box retailer would hire someone from outside the company. Target's stock is down about 60% since 2021.

“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.

Target on Wednesday named a new chief executive, Michael Fiddelke, the company’s chief operating officer and a 20-year company veteran, who said improving the retail giant’s sputtering finances was “urgent” as he prepared to step into the top job.

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.

Results over the last few years have fallen short of our expectations and our potential,” current CEO Brian Cornell says.

(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 ...

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.