Following an unprecedented holiday season in 2020, Target has already announced that it will be closed Thanksgiving Day in 2021!

On Wednesday, Minnesota-based retailer Target shared the results of its 2020 holiday season sales and the surprising news that it will be closed for Thanksgiving Day in 2021.

“We’ve seen continued strong sales trends in the new year," said Brian Cornell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Target Corporation, "and as we turn to our 2021 plans, our team is focused on continuing to build on the guest engagement and significant market share we gained throughout 2020.”

In November and December last year, Target says, it saw a comparable sales growth of 17.2% over the same period in 2019. It also saw a 193% sales increase in 2020 on same-day services, including 500% growth of Drive-Up services and 300% growth of Shipt.

"Throughout the holidays, we delivered joy for holiday shoppers while focusing on safety—adjusting promotions to reduce crowding while delivering easy, contactless fulfillment options through Drive Up and Shipt," said Cornell. Target reports that in December alone, guests purchased 150 million items using Drive-Up and Order Pickup services -- almost four times more than December the year before. On one day in December, Target teams fulfilled 6.5 million items via Drive-Up and Order Pickup -- the most ever in a single day.

Besides offering and utilizing drive-up, online ordering and Shipt options in 2020, Target also adjusted its approach to the holiday season. With safety top-of-mind, Target offered Black Friday specials and deals all season long and closed Thanksgiving Day to minimize crowds and help take the stress out of holiday shopping.

"In fact, guests loved our new approach so much that we’ve already decided to carry one change forward (and we’re telling you here first): Our Target stores will be closed all day on Thanksgiving Day 2021."