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.

Target Corp. on Wednesday named Michael Fiddelke as its new chief executive, promoting the company veteran who has served as chief operating officer since February. Fiddelke, 49, will succeed Brian Cornell, who led the Minneapolis-based retailer for 11 years through a period of significant growth and recent challenges.

Fiddelke, an Iowa native and University of Iowa graduate, has been with Target since 2003, starting as an intern. Investors reacted negatively to the appointment, causing Target's shares to drop over 6%. An Iowa native and University of Iowa graduate will be the new top executive of Target, one of the nation's largest retail chains.

Key Takeaways Target announced it was replacing CEO Brian Cornell with 20-year company veteran Michael Fiddelke, and shares plunged.Fiddelke was instrumental in the struggling retailer's efforts to reshape how it operates.

Target reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter earnings Wednesday, but that may not matter much to investors, who finally know who the retailer’s next chief executive is going to be. Target announced that longtime veteran and current Chief Operating Officer Michael Fiddelke will succeed CEO Brian Cornell on Feb.