first entry into a major catalog business. Rivertown and Target's e-commerce team have combined to make one bu!
             siness called target.direct. This creation allows Target Corporation to strengthen its capabilities in the direct marketing retail channel and Internet retailing. The general merchandise industry has experienced significant growth of 15.8% annually in the past five years due partly to the strong economy. The industry accounted for $346 billion dollars in 1998. Experts project that it will increase this year and next year by 19.6% and 18.8% respectively. The five-year projection for the industry shows an annual increase of 18%. Selected information on the industry is given in Exhibit 5 and 6. Target Corporation accounted for approximately 9.7% of the industry's sales in 1999. However, its largest competitor, Wal-Mart, was responsible for about 47% of the sales. With the industry growing at such a rapid pace, each corporation will have to continue to increase sales to keep up with the competition. Threats and Opportunities Wal-M
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