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- Jun 30, 2011
- Messages
- 217
Confirmed from an e-mail I got today, we are going to take the Geek Squad on as a partner in Electronics and offering their services. Only the Denver Market is testing this right now. Its also been confirmed online.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...7YCoCQ&usg=AFQjCNEjiGP3z2NdgoMmtv_bkq8rzDFNsw
""""The Denver area will serve as the test bed for a partnership between two of the most recognizable names in retail and consumer electronics: Target and the Geek Squad.
Starting in early October, all 28 Target stores in the Denver area will feature Geek Squad tech experts and services. Geek Squad "agents," clad in their trademark white shirts and clip-on black ties, will provide Target shoppers with the full slate of services, from in-store gadget repairs to home-theater delivery and installation.
"What we are looking to do is to really include all of the services that a typical guest could get at any Geek Squad in a Target store," said Scott Nygaard, Target's vice president of electronics. "These will be Geek Squad employees that are Geek Squad-trained and have all the same expertise."
Each Denver Target store will feature Geek Squad technicians for 80 hours a week during the six-month trial, which will also include one Target store in the Minneapolis area, where the companies are based. Target won't decide on whether it will take the partnership nationwide until after the Denver test is completed, Nygaard said.
Geek Squad was founded in 1994, billed as the first round-the-clock consumer technology repair and support service.
In 2002, the company was acquired by Best Buy, the troubled electronics retailer it is widely associated with today.
Nygaard said Target pursued the Geek Squad partnership because of the blurring line between mobile and home electronics.
"The themes coming out of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) last January were all about connected devices and how the family can be connected and how you can have all your devices connected," Nygaard said. "The guest doesn't always understand how all that works. We think that this is able to bring us a bit of simplicity."
Burt P. Flickinger III, managing director of retail consulting firm Strategic Resource Group, said he believes the partnership will benefit both Target and Best Buy.
"It is a very smart and strategic initiative for both retailers," Flickinger said. "It benefits Target because Target sells more high-end consumer electronics."
Flickinger said the partnership will also help Best Buy improve its reputation for customer service. The electronics chain has struggled to compete with online retailers and announced it would close 50 big-box stores this year as part of a new cost-cutting strategy.
Read more: Geek Squad will plug into Denver-area Target stores in early October - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/business/...ll-plug-into-denver-area-target#ixzz236bJwgey
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...7YCoCQ&usg=AFQjCNEjiGP3z2NdgoMmtv_bkq8rzDFNsw
""""The Denver area will serve as the test bed for a partnership between two of the most recognizable names in retail and consumer electronics: Target and the Geek Squad.
Starting in early October, all 28 Target stores in the Denver area will feature Geek Squad tech experts and services. Geek Squad "agents," clad in their trademark white shirts and clip-on black ties, will provide Target shoppers with the full slate of services, from in-store gadget repairs to home-theater delivery and installation.
"What we are looking to do is to really include all of the services that a typical guest could get at any Geek Squad in a Target store," said Scott Nygaard, Target's vice president of electronics. "These will be Geek Squad employees that are Geek Squad-trained and have all the same expertise."
Each Denver Target store will feature Geek Squad technicians for 80 hours a week during the six-month trial, which will also include one Target store in the Minneapolis area, where the companies are based. Target won't decide on whether it will take the partnership nationwide until after the Denver test is completed, Nygaard said.
Geek Squad was founded in 1994, billed as the first round-the-clock consumer technology repair and support service.
In 2002, the company was acquired by Best Buy, the troubled electronics retailer it is widely associated with today.
Nygaard said Target pursued the Geek Squad partnership because of the blurring line between mobile and home electronics.
"The themes coming out of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) last January were all about connected devices and how the family can be connected and how you can have all your devices connected," Nygaard said. "The guest doesn't always understand how all that works. We think that this is able to bring us a bit of simplicity."
Burt P. Flickinger III, managing director of retail consulting firm Strategic Resource Group, said he believes the partnership will benefit both Target and Best Buy.
"It is a very smart and strategic initiative for both retailers," Flickinger said. "It benefits Target because Target sells more high-end consumer electronics."
Flickinger said the partnership will also help Best Buy improve its reputation for customer service. The electronics chain has struggled to compete with online retailers and announced it would close 50 big-box stores this year as part of a new cost-cutting strategy.
Read more: Geek Squad will plug into Denver-area Target stores in early October - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/business/...ll-plug-into-denver-area-target#ixzz236bJwgey