Target Corporation lands in St. George amid western store expansion push

Target Corporation's Gulfstream G280, registered as N585PL, lifted off from Idaho Falls Regional Airport on May 8, slicing through the skies for 78 minutes before touching down at St. George Regional Airport. The jet cruised at a maximum altitude of 41,025 feet and peaked at 496 knots ground speed, covering the 500-mile hop with corporate efficiency.

The arrival unfolds the same week Target accelerates its expansion footprint, per a March 5 announcement on the company's website, committing to more than 30 new stores nationwide in 2026—including fresh outposts in growing western markets like Utah, where a new location in Logan is slated for summer. St. George's booming population and tourism draw make it a logical stop for site evaluations, even if no immediate plans surface there.

This flight punctuates a pattern of quick western jaunts for the Minneapolis-based retailer, whose recent itinerary traced a zigzag from Montana's Glacier Park through Wyoming's Jackson Hole and Idaho, hinting at a deliberate reconnaissance of retail opportunities in the Rockies—far from the usual boardroom runs to Chicago or Houston.