Target phasing out Amazon's Kindle reader

New York - Target Corp. is phasing out Amazon.com Inc.'s e-reader Kindle at its more than 1,700 stores and its website.

Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder said Wednesday that the decision to stop selling Kindles this spring came after an "ongoing review" of Target's merchandise that evaluates quality and prices of the chain's offerings.

The move coincides with the discounter's plan to create mini shops of Apple Inc. products in 25 of its stores this year. Despite competition from cheaper tablet computers such as Amazon's Kindle Fire, Apple's iPad remains the most popular tablet. Apple has sold more than 55 million iPads since the tablet's debut in 2010.

Target, which is based in Minneapolis, started selling Kindles two years ago. Target announced in late November that Amazon's Kindle was the best-selling tablet in its stores on the day after Thanksgiving, typically the busiest day of the year.