Target to open 20 more Canadian stores in July

U.S. discount chain Target Corp. is opening 20 more stores this month after its initial rollout of 48 outlets earlier this year.

The total count of 68 locations so far lifts the company past the halfway mark in its plans to open 124 stores in Canada by the end of the year.

The 20 new stores – in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario – are to open between July 16 and July 30.

The new batch of stores includes the first Targets in Saskatchewan, the company said in a news release Thursday.

"After opening stores in Ontario and Western Canada, we're excited to bring the unique Target brand shopping experience to additional locations in these markets and to welcome our first guests in Saskatchewan," Target Canada president Tony Fisher said in a statement.

The much-anticipated arrival of Minneapolis-based Target in Canada is ratcheting up the pressure in an already crowded retail space.

Here is the list of stores:

Locations opening to the public on July 16 include:

British Columbia (2)

Courtenay - Driftwood Mall

Kelowna - Orchard Plaza

Alberta (2)

Calgary - Signal Hill Centre

Medicine Hat - Medicine Hat Mall

Saskatchewan (3)

Regina - Northgate Shopping Centre

Saskatoon - The Mall at Lawson Heights

Saskatoon - Centre at Circle & Eighth

Ontario (11)

Ancaster - Meadowlands Power Centre

Chatham - Thames Lea Plaza

Hamilton - South Hamilton Square

Hamilton - Queenston Place

Kitchener - Laurentian Power Centre

Niagara Falls - 7190 Morrison Street

North Bay - 1899 Algonquin Avenue

Oakville - South Oakville Centre

Oshawa, Ontario - Five Points Mall

Thunder Bay - Intercity Shopping Centre

Welland - Seaway Mall