The first CityTargets, which are about two-thirds the size of a typical Target, open on July 25 in Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, where the company already is already well established.

CityTarget gives Target a chance to learn how to operate in existing locations that are smaller than its typical stores, knowledge that should help the Minneapolis-based chain as it gets ready to open its first Canadian stores in 2013.

“The Canada team and the CityTarget team talk almost weekly,” said Mark Schindele, senior vice president of merchandising, as he walked around the Chicago store.

The average size of a CityTarget is about 80,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet, Schindele said, compared with Targets that average 135,000 square feet and Super Targets that are about 175,000 square feet.