Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. After finishing his tenure as CEO, Cornell will serve as executive chair of Target's board of directors. Target said it will announce its new COO — Fiddelke's successor — "at a later date.

On his shopping list come Feb. 1, new Target CEO Michael Fiddelke faces a multitude of challenges from making its offer clearer to unwinding the damage from DEI missteps.

Activists and customers on the right attacked Target on social media for its LGBTQ-themed merchandise during Pride Month. Target employees faced threats. Misinformation spread on social media that the swimsuits designed for transgender people were marketed to children, which they were not. The company removed them from stores.

“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.

Companies like Nike and Target are helmed by veterans who got their start at the companies decades ago.

Target's appointment of company veteran Michael Fiddelke as CEO did little to enthuse Wall Street analysts as they were pinning their hopes on an outsider to put the struggling retailer back on track.

The retailer is examining its Chicago-area stores to understand how each location is best suited to fulfill online orders, and expects to apply learnings to 40 new markets.

Target’s quarterly sales in 2023 fell for the first time in six years as consumers pulled back on discretionary goods and fierce right-wing backlash to Target’s Pride Month collection took a toll.