By John McLoone

Fleet Farm is hard at work already in its planned Hastings location, where it plans to hire 150 workers The Wisconsin-based retailer has 47 locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota. Twin cities locations include Oakdale, Carver, Blaine, Lakeville and Brooklyn Park.

Fleet Farm purchased the building that Target vacated in 2018 when it was termed an “underperforming” store.

Fleet Farm purchased the property for a reported $2.6 million, Dakota County property records state. According to county records, the overall value of the site is $3.8 million with the building. The Target store was built in 1999. The overall value is down from the current year tax bill value of $4.2 million. The property tax bill on the parcel for 2021 was $134,396.

Property records indicate that the site size is 11.06 acres, and the building is 125,958 square feet.

The store is slated to open in Fall 2022, a company representative said Monday.

“We are excited to bring Fleet Farm’s unique combination of products and services to the City of Hastings. We are proud to be expanding our store presence in Minnesota, becoming a part of the Hastings community and creating more than 150 new jobs,” Fleet Farm Senior Vice President of Store Operations Nick Widi told The Journal.

A lumber yard will be added at the store on the east side of the building.

Fleet Farm has over 6,600 employees. It was founded in 1955. See FLEET FARM Page 3 From the Fleet Farm website: “Fleet Farm offers a full assortment of national brands and Fleet Farm exclusive brands across a number of product categories, including outdoors, sporting goods, farming, pet care, hardware, toys, home goods, apparel and accessories for the entire family, as well as pantry items and snacks. We have an unwavering commitment to offering superior products and great service, all at exceptional value.”

By the Numbers Founded in 1955

47 locations across Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota More than 6,600 employees Each store brings more than 200 jobs to the local community Approximately 120,000 products in stores

2,800 varieties of pet food

500 varieties of packaged snacks

5,000 varieties of fasteners in the hardware department

270,000 tires changed annually

2 million live plants sold annually

85,000 cars washed in January