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Apple Bringing Store-Within-a-Store Concept to Target?

Friday January 6, 2012 6:07 am PST by Eric Slivka
AppleInsider reports that Apple is planning to launch a test program later this year that would see the company open "store-within-a-store" concepts in 25 Target stores around the United States. The stores would be similar to the "Apple Shops" found in a number of Best Buy locations.
According to a source familiar with Apple's plans, the company plans to begin operating Apple-branded areas within 25 larger Target stores in locations which can't support a standalone Apple Store.

The initial opening would be a small start, given that Target, the second-largest discount retail chain in the US, operates 1752 stores in the US.
The report notes that Apple has had a long-standing arrangement with Target for the retailer to feature iPods in its stores, a relationship that has since expanded to include the iPad and iPhone. With the test program, these select Target locations may soon also begin selling Mac products in its stores in addition to providing other dedicated Apple product sales support.


Best Buy Apple Shop (Source: Best Buy)

Many Best Buy Apple Shops are run under the Apple Solutions Consultants, which utilizes Apple-employed consultants to provide expertise within the Best Buy stores, although Best Buy employees may also assist customers.

Tag: appleinsider.com
[ 107 comments ]


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MultiMediaWill
62 months ago
My local petsmart already has one of these.
Rating: 14 Votes
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nylonsteel
62 months ago
re original article

i'm ok with it - as long as aapl employees are staffing these

most target and best buy employees i've dealt with have no clue or seem like they hate life
Rating: 13 Votes
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Kyle4
62 months ago
Not sure how to save this as an image, but here you go.

http://qkme.me/35njwy (http://qkme.me/35njwy)
Rating: 12 Votes
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AppleFan1984
62 months ago
I can't wait for a photo that shows this Apple store-within-a-store with other brand logos on the main store's wall behind it so we can enjoy lots of needless outrage. ;)
Rating: 8 Votes
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FFArchitect
62 months ago
Much better venue than Wal-mart.
Rating: 7 Votes
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sessamoid
62 months ago
Apple is doing this because Target shares the same retail philosophy as Apple.

Nobody here has picked up on the fact that the guy who Apple brought in to start the Apple retail initiative (Ron Johnson, now CEO of JC Penny) was VP of Merchandising at Target.
Rating: 6 Votes
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bushido
62 months ago
we have lots of those here in germany because we have barely apple stores
Rating: 6 Votes
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AustinIllini
62 months ago
People make fun of the Apple geniuses, but people at best buy and the like are just so upset all the time. If they could get two or three apple geniuses in the store, I like the idea, otherwise I would worry target employees would tarnish apple's customer service image.
Rating: 4 Votes
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yg17
62 months ago

I picked up 3 DSi's when I was in Florida for Christmas one year. They seem like a Walmart type of store to me. They sell everything. lol


That's basically what Target is...an upper class version of Wal-Mart.
Rating: 4 Votes
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Shrink
62 months ago
The last sentence in the news article is, maybe, a problem:

"although Best Buy employees may also assist customers"

:rolleyes:
Rating: 3 Votes

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