Target has opened a new 1.2 million-square-foot supply chain facility in the Houston market designed to connect directly with global suppliers and respond in real time to store demand, the company said. The site — Target’s first-ever “receive center” — represents a $265 million investment and will create about 185 local jobs, expanding the retailer’s growing logistics footprint along the Gulf Coast, according to the company’s website. Unlike traditional distribution centers, the Houston facility is built to intake goods directly from thousands of global vendors, hold inventory upstream and deploy it only when needed across the network. It aims to allow Target to position inventory closer to demand signals and avoid bottlenecks further downstream. Target (NYSE: TGT), one of the largest retailers in the U.S., operates roughly 2,000 retail stores and 66 supply chain facilities across the country. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.defineSlot(‘/21776187881/FW-Responsive-Main_Content-Slot1’, [[300, 100], [320, 50], [728, 90], [468, 60]], ‘div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0’).defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0’); }); A new node in Target’s supply chain The Houston receive center will support six regional distribution centers and one flow center, acting as a buffer between import warehouses and store-level fulfillment. By inserting capacity earlier in the supply chain, Target said it can better manage seasonal, bulky or hard-to-forecast goods while reducing congestion at distribution centers and store backrooms, the company said. The facility is strategically located between Target’s import hubs in Georgia and Washington state, aiming to help shorten delivery distances and lower transportation costs.…