MINNEAPOLIS — Target has announced plans to open 15 U.S. stores this year, with an emphasis on its smaller-sized TargetExpress format located in urban centers. The discounter will open eight TargetExpress locations, one CityTarget and six general merchandise stores.

According to an article in Chain Store Age, the company’s strategic store growth is focused on reaching guests in urban centers, while also offering new experiences, merchandising layouts and innovations in its general merchandise stores.

In addition to previously announced TargetExpress openings in San Francisco, San Diego and St. Paul, Minnesota, Target plans to open two TargetExpress stores in the Washington, D.C., area and one in Chicago. The retailer’s newest and smallest format at approximately 20,000 square feet, TargetExpress provides a quick-trip shopping experience with a more localized experience for each community.

Target said it will continue to test TargetExpress stores to learn more about operating small format locations and further enhance and customize the guest experience. Target currently operates one TargetExpress location in Minneapolis, which opened in July 2014 and has already made adjustments based on guest feedback and operational insights. Beyond 2015, Target is exploring a number of opportunities to bring TargetExpress to major markets across the country, including the Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago and San Francisco Bay Area regions.

This year, the company will also open its first East Coast CityTarget store in Boston, followed by a 2016 opening in Brooklyn, New York.