Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE:KSS) has revealed plans to start selling Apple Watches from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) as part of its plan to boost holiday sales.
Kohl’s plans to stock Apple Watches and sell them in 400 retail stores as of November 15. This means the company will only stock the Apple Watches in select locations given that the firm has roughly 1,100 locations spread out across the US. Earlier in September, it was revealed that Macy’s Inc (NYSE:M) is also stocking Apple Watches in 180 of its stores. Macy’s is also throwing in mini Apple boutiques for its shoppers.
Kohl’s has been trying to venture deeper into activewear and it has especially been targeting female consumers. The company will be launching the Apple Watches in the activewear section instead of launching it as an electronic partner. The latter was expected because Kohl’s has been working together with Apple to support the Apple Pay mobile payment service. The new move would have been an extension of the already existing relationship but that is not the case.
“We’re not launching it as an electronics partner. We were positioning this as an active and wellness device,” stated Michelle Gass, the chief merchandising and customer officer at Kohl’s.
Kohl’s will offer ten different kinds of Apple Watches at its stores. Both the retail firm and Apple hope that the move will significantly boost Apple Watch sales. The department store business is currently facing a 2.8 percent drop in sales this year. It, therefore, hopes that selling the Apple device will help boost sales. The company believes that there is still an opportunity to turn things around as people shop for the holiday season.
There is also an expectation of higher Apple Watch sales because Apple recently launched new models of the Apple Watch along with the launch of the iPhone 7. The second generation devices feature faster processors, waterproofing and built-in GPS, making them more appealing especially for the fitness market.
Kohl’s stock closed the latest trading session at $42.69.
