Best Buy is an Apple Watch believer after strong early sales
“Demand for Apple Watch has been so strong in the stores and online,” Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call, according to Fortune.
Sales of the Apple Watch weren’t reflected in Best Buy’s earnings, because the gadget just went on sale August 7. And so far, the company is only selling the watch in about 100 of its stores, which it originally planned to expand to 300 by the holiday season. Now demand is so high that Best Buy will start selling the Apple Watch and its accessories at all of its 1,050 stores by the end of September.
Buyers are clamoring to buy Apple products, but sometimes a Best Buy location is closer than an Apple Store. Joly said during the earnings call that the company is refreshing its 740 Apple mini-stores within Best Buy’s own stores, with 350 already finished and another 170 expected to be done by the holidays so shoppers can get the Apple Store experience even if there’s no Apple Store nearby.
Best Buy is also going to sell AppleCare and AppleCare+ support and service later this year, and Joly said the retail chain is going to pilot an Apple Authorized Service Provider program at 50 of its stores. That means if you buy an Apple product at Best Buy, you can return to the same store to get the product fixed under AppleCare.