Now, investors have another wrinkle to consider. On Wednesday, Target replaced its CEO of 11 years, Brian Cornell — a shakeup that was widely expected and likely overdue. Taking his place to steer the brand out of its malaise is … Cornell’s right-hand man.

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.

Target analysts are expecting mixed results when the retailer reports earnings on Wednesday. Business Insider visited stores to see why.

Target CEO Brian Cornell is stepping down, and Michael Fiddelke, chief operating officer (COO), will become chief executive on Feb. 1, 2026. Cornell has led Target for 11 years. Fiddelke began his career at Target as an intern in 2003.

Fiddelke acknowledged many of these problems on Wednesday, saying Target was “urgently adjusting” to tariffs and changing consumer needs, embracing technology to automate manual work, and working to mend problems like slow decision-making, siloed internal goals, and a lack of access to quality data that would drive better inventory planning.

By Siddharth Cavale, Juveria Tabassum and Sayantani Ghosh (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,

The news the retail industry has been anticipating for months was finally announced on Wednesday: Target CEO Brian Cornell is finally stepping down after 11 years at the helm and will be replaced by his operations chief Michael Fiddelke in February.

The retailer is in a brand identity crisis, CNN’s Allison Morrow writes. While it’s easy to get lost in Target’s recent handling of American culture war narratives, the root of the problems runs deep. Is it possible to come back from this ?