Stores Within Stores: Retail's Savior?

Everyone from Sears to Target to Wal-Mart is carving out space in their stores for specialty retailers to set up shop.

Most fascinating partnership? Sears and Forever 21. Sears is carving out 15% of their floor space in their Costa Mesa store for a Forever 21 shop-in-shop.

Target is leasing out space to Radio Shack to setup mobile phone shops, run by Radio Shack employees, in 1450 of their stores by June. Kroger already leases out space in 23 of stores to Murray cheeses, staffed by Murray's own cheese experts.

Read the rest here.

Target to Launch Flash Sale on Gilt for Fall Designer Lines

Brilliant partnership.

Target is giving Gilt Groupe members exclusive access to their new Fall Capsule Collections designed by Gaby Basora (Tucker apparel), John Darian (decoupage housewares), and Mulberry handbags. The collections apparently usually sell out quickly in-store.

1. Build cachet around the launch and get the product in the hands of fashion-forward influencers
   
2. Generate buzz and awareness for both Gilt Groupe and the Target collection amongst "mainstream" Target shoppers
3. Win-win
   

This marks Gilt Groupe's evolving and expanding business model and an innovative new distribution channel for Target.

More details on Mashable: Target to Launch Flash Sale on Gilt for Fall Designer Lines

Target signs P-Rod

Big day for Tar-ghez. Target has signed professional skateboarder Paul Rodriguez to rep the brand, presumably to design an apparel collaboration? The 25-year-old skate sensation is the only three-time X Games Skateboard Street Gold medalist; he also won the first Maloof Money Cup in 2008. Rodriguez joins Target athletes Shaun White, Mat Hoffman, Kolohe Andino, Carissa Moore, Nate Adams, Kevin Robinson, Simon Dumont, Alex Prochazka, and Ryan Dungey.

New Target app lets you style, share, shop!

Target's new Facebook app, entitled My Look Maker, allows you to virtually style, share and shop head-to-toe looks from Merona (Target's popular private-label clothing line for women 35+). Fan-curated submissions pull from in-season merch and have an editorial look reminiscent of Polyvore; to show off your skills, you can upload your looks to Facebook and other social media, and lucky fans are featured on Target.com. In addition, a smart “shop it now” feature lets you buy user-curated merchandise instantly. A week in, they've got close to 250 submissions - not too shabby, but just a small slice of their 1.3MM friends. Definitely a great move to further establish Merona as a brand.