Apple Watch in Best Buy Stores by August as Device’s Distribution Widens

Apple (AAPL) has inked a deal to sell its Watch at Best Buy (BBY) stores as part of a strategic move to widen the number of third-party retail locations selling the wearable.

Beginning on August 7, the big box retailer initially will carry the Apple Watch in 100 stores and at its website, with an additional 200 stores added by the holiday season.

It was but a month ago that Apple began selling its Watch to consumers through its own retail stores worldwide. While the vendor has displayed models of the Watch at its stores since April 10 when it began taking pre-orders for the device, aside from some fashion boutiques and high-end retailers, prior to June 26 consumers couldn’t actually purchase and receive one at an outlet.

As of the end of June, less than 700 retail stores worldwide reportedly carried the Apple Watch, a small fraction of the 220,000 outlets that reportedly sell the iPhone.

Best Buy will be the first major retailer to carry the device. It will sell 16 Apple Watch models, including the Sport and Watch models in both 38mm and 42mm sizes along with about 50 accessories, including watch bands, screen shields, stands, chargers and more. It will not carry the high-end Apple Watch Edition, the gold-cased model priced at $10,000.

The retailer already sells some accessories for the Watch, including cases, docking stations and screen protectors, at its online store.

“The Apple Watch is a big addition to our stores and website, and we know our customers want it,” said Jason Bonfig, Best Buy senior category officer. “We are excited to bring the Apple Watch to more consumers, especially with the holidays coming up.”

Apple chief executive Tim Cook last week suggested that the vendor planned to expand the Watch’s distribution for the holiday buying season.

“We’re very bullish on the Watch being one of the key, top holiday gifts and want to have it in more places than we currently have it,” Cook told the Wall Street Journal.

In denying reports that sales of the Watch had slowed, Cook said activity picked up in late June when the vendor began selling it at its own retail outlets, the Journal reported.

Various researchers estimate Apple sold between 2 million and 4 million units of the Watch in Q2 2015, figures that Apple has not confirmed or denied.