Canadian court approves Target Canada to begin liquidating inventory as early as Thursday

Target Canada has received court approval to begin liquidating its stock.

The U.S.-based retailer announced last month that it would close all 133 of its Canadian stores and lay off more than 17,000 staff, just two years after it began opening stores in Canada.

Target received the go ahead to liquidate beginning on Thursday following a hearing Wednesday.

Already many Target stores have stopped carrying perishables such as milk, eggs and frozen foods, Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder said.

In addition to remaining inventory, Target's shelving, fixtures and equipment will also be sold.

The company took over old Zellers locations and began to open under the Target banner in Canada for the first time in March 2013, but failed to deliver on customer expectations.