Rumors connect Sam’s Club, Apple on store deal
by February 9, 2012 5:57 pm 150 views
Apple enthusiasts perked up Tuesday (Feb. 7) when a report posted by 9to5Mac, indicated Apple is in early talks to open a store-within-a-store concept inside certain Sam’s Club locations.
The post went viral within a few minutes with the help of social media platforms like Mashable.com, Twitter and Facebook.
The retailers already do business together, but the mini-store format would be a new endeavor. Sam’s Club won’t confirm any deal or plans to expand the company’s relationship with Apple Inc.
But other big box retailers like Best Buy have used the concept for years. It is a strategy already working well for Apple, according to Tamara Rutter, tech contributor to the Virginia-based based financial services company Motley Fool. Rutter notes the Mac maker's success with smaller format stores inside Best Buy locations led to a more recent partnership between Apple and Target, with 25 Apple mini-stores to go into select Target locations this year and next.
It’s also worth noting that Sam’s Club competitor, Costco and Apple parted ways in December 2010, after Apple began selling its products in Walmart and Sam’s Club.
Sam’s Club offers members iPod products including Nano, iPod and iTouch; iPad and iPad2 tablets in addition to the iPhone line of products, according to Carrie Foster, company spokeswoman.
A new deal would likely introduce Mac desktops and laptops to chosen locations, along with tech service.
Foster said Sam’s members who purchase Apple products now are offered tech services (provided by Apple) for an additional fee.