With any luck, this’ll work out better than the infamous Apple “Store Within a Store” locations at CompUSA during the 90s…
Per the New York Times, Target on Thursday confirmed that it plans to open 25 specialty stores dedicated to Apple products inside 25 of its existing retail locations.
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.
“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 — for Sephora, Call It Spring, MNG by Mango and other brands — a centerpiece of its strategy.”
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
One reply on “Target announces 25 Apple “Store-Within-a-Store” locations in 2012”
I hope these kind of stores don’t dilute the Apple brand. Going to the Apple store is an experience – there’s a certain energy there.
The little counters at Best Buy are an ok place to view the products – but the personnel, if you can find someone, are not as knowledgeable about the line up and the displays themselves feel a bit neglected.