Target to Double Apple's Product Footprint, Add Tech Support in 17 Stores
Target expanded its store-within-a-store concept Thursday, announcing a partnership with Apple that expands product offerings and doubles Apple’s footprint in Target stores. The partnership will start online and begin rolling out in 17 stores this month, with the remainder to…
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be in place by fall, said the retailer. Stores slated for the first round of Apple expansions are in Monticello, Minnesota; San Jose; Oklahoma City; Allen, Austin, Hurst, Irving and San Antonio, Texas; Orlando, Miami, Clearwater and Gainesville, Florida; North Wales, Pennsylvania; Newark, Delaware; Woburn, Massachusetts; Nashua, New Hampshire; and Latham, New York. Additional locations will be announced in fall, Target said. A search at Target.com showed AppleCare+ is available at Target stores and “coming soon” to Target.com. Customers can get Target gift cards for used electronics as part of Apple services, it said, and they can chat live with an expert or call for phone support from 8 a.m.-midnight. It wasn’t clear how or if the linkup with Target would affect Apple’s relationship with other retailers. Best Buy remains an authorized service center for Apple product repairs, said the website Thursday. On Best Buy's Thursday earnings call (see story, this issue), CEO Corie Barry volunteered that the electronics retailer has an arrangement with Samsung; customers can get tech support from Best Buy employees when shopping at Samsung.com. Target called the Apple destination a way for customers to experience new products through demonstrations and “knowledgeable Target Tech Consultants, who will receive specialized training from Apple.” Target has sold select Apple products for 15 years. The new initiative includes “enhanced service and expanded offerings,” said Christina Hennington, chief growth officer. Target compared the program to others it has with national brands Disney, Ulta Beauty and Levi Strauss. Apple and Target didn’t respond to questions Thursday.