Edible Apple

Reuters today confirmed a story we relayed earlier in the week regarding Apple’s plans to open up  ‘store within a store’ shops at 25 Target locations, emulating Apple’s current retail strategy at Best Buy. The announcement is part of an overall push from Target to offer premium merchandise as a means differentiate itself from other low-cost retailers.

Indeed, Apple’s former retail head Ron Johnson played an instrumental role in shaping Target’s current image as a place to shop for quality goods at affordable prices.

Target Corp will soon have exclusive shops selling everything from candy to clothing as the discount chain tries to stand out among the growing ranks of retailers offering trendy, often low-priced merchandise.

Target will also have 25 stores featuring special displays of Apple Inc merchandise, a move that had been the subject of speculation last week and which the retailer confirmed on Thursday.

Target, which is based in Minneapolis, unveiled its “The Shops at Target” concept in New York. Items from boutiques such as Boston’s Polka Dog Bakery, Miami’s The Webster and San Francisco’s The Candy Store will be priced from $1 to $160 and be sold in Target and on its website for six weeks starting in early May. A new collection will then be sold in the fall.

As of yet, there’s no word as to which specific Target locations will receive the ‘store within a store’ treatment, but previous reports have indicated that they’ll be concentrated in metro areas that might not ordinarily be large enough to warrant a stand-alone Apple retail store. Currently, iPhones, iPods, and iPads can be found at most Target locations. Once the ‘store within a store’ concept gets off the ground, expect Macs to join the fray as well.