Tractor Supply announced this week an increase to its long term operating margin target and that it plans to open additional stores.   Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ: TSCO) has carved out a niche in the market and appears to be exploiting that niche very effectively. 

The recent press release included this statement from their Chairman and CEO.

Jim Wright, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, added, “Over the past four years, we have effectively tested and validated the viability of the Tractor Supply store model in small markets.  We are pleased that we are able to generate a comparable rate of return on investment in these markets, which opens up additional growth opportunities for Tractor Supply stores. We believe we have a long runway of growth ahead of us.  In working toward our expanded goal of 2,100 stores, we will continue to target square footage growth of approximately 8% annually, which has been a very manageable growth rate for the Company.”

Is your company supplying to Tractor Supply?  We’d like to hear your thoughts on their merchandising strategy and their status with regards to sharing retail point of sale data with vendors.