AppleInsider exclusively reported last week that Target would open the new store-within-a-store locations at 25 larger Target stores this year. The retailer confirmed those exact details in a presentation in New York on Thursday, according to The New York Times.
The concept is called "The Shops at Target," and the dedicated Apple ministores coming to 25 Target locations will not be alone. The Minneapolis-based retailer has also partnered with Boston's Polka Dog Bakery and Miami's The Webster, among others, for its specialty shops.
Target has been selling Apple products for years, including the iPad, iPhone, and Apple's iPod lineup. Target does not currently offer any of Apple's Mac lineup, however, while Best Buy's Apple stores do sell Mac products.
The new Target mini-stores could pave the way for more products, like Macs or AirPort wireless routers, to become available. However, there has been no indication that the Apple stores at Target will offer a product selection as wide as Best Buy currently does.
Target has adorned its electronics sections with official Apple signage | Source: ifoAppleStore
"Stores-within-a-store, with dedicated floor space and signs and shelves designed by a brand, have been a popular strategy for a while," author Stephanie Clifford wrote for the Times. "Department stores have long had small boutiques for designers like Ralph Lauren or Chanel. J.C. Penney, a Target competitor, has made its stores-within-a-store â for Sephora, Call It Spring, MNG by Mango and other brands â a centerpiece of its strategy."
35 Comments
That'd be awesome if the Apple Store within Target was treated like an entirely different country, like an embassy on foreign soil. The customer would have to complete their Apple Store purchase before entering the Target store. Also, the Apple Store would have dedicated staff using different point of sale terminals.
Also, the Apple Store would have dedicated staff using different point of sale terminals.
Not sure how I feel about that first part, but this? This is a must. We can't have Target idiots in the Mac section. I want employees on Apple's payroll managing the Mac part.
I don't think this "store in a store" thing is a good idea, I often see people avoiding that whole area, including the sales staff. I remember when they started the idea way back with CompUSA, and that wasn't very successful either, I know I worked there.
Target on Thursday confirmed that it plans to open 25 specialty stores dedicated to Apple products inside 25 of its existing retail locations.
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Soon Apple will the become the everyman choice! Walmart is next! (sarcasm)
Target can benefit from the Apple Stores' cachet. A win for them, and ground gained for Apple, as long as Apple does it on their terms. (And I'd be surprised if it was any other way at this point. as another poster pointed out, this has been tried - and found wanting - before. But that was before Apple had the clout and retail savvy it has today. I just don't see them making the same mistakes again.)
Soon Apple will the become the everyman choice! Walmart is next! (sarcasm)
Uh... you DO know Apple already sells through WalMart, don't you? There's actually no reason why, if this works with Target, it would not work in any store with enough foot traffic.