A rising number of companies are experimenting with store-within-a-store models. This year, Target more than quadrupled its number of Apple at Target shop-in-shops. Claire’s has a store-within-a-store at over 360 Walmart locations as part of a partnership in which Claire’s accessories and jewellery are accessible in over 2,500 Walmart shops. Walmart is also collaborating with Popable, a pop-up shop marketplace platform, to allow small companies to rent retail space at Walmart stores around the country for short-term leases. In the run-up to the holidays, Macy’s added Toys “R” Us outlets to all of its US shops. When two businesses have complementary offerings and consumer bases that coincide, such as Target and Apple, the store-within-a-store model works effectively. A store-within-a-store allows host firms to get the most out of their real estate. When two merchants’ brand positioning and consumer profiles are comparable, the notion becomes obvious. However, merchants must carefully assess how they would gain from such a partnership.

Read more from Insiderintelligence