Target's online president departs

[October 14, 2011]  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Target Corp. says the head of its online business has left the company.

The retailer announced late Thursday that Steve Eastman, the 47-year old president of Target.com, has left to pursue other opportunities.

Target said the decision is unrelated to the performance of its online business. But the retailer faced tough criticism last month after it drummed up so much hype around its offerings from Italian designer Missoni that its website crashed and was down most of the day that the designer's collection launched.

Eastman is the second key executive to leave Target this month.

J.C. Penney Co. Inc. recently hired Target's top marketing executive Michael Francis as its new president.

Target, based in Minneapolis, operates 1,767 stores across the United States and its online business at Target.com.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.