Minneapolis-based Target Corporation announced Monday that it will begin selling Apple's iPhone beginning Sunday.

The retailer said that the smart phone will be available at 846 of its stores-those that include Target Mobile centers. A Target spokeswoman said Thursday that there are 62 locations in Minnesota that will carry the iPhone, including the downtown Minneapolis store and most suburbs in the metro area.

Target will offer the iPhone 3GS and the new iPhone 4. Customers can receive “quick in-store activation” of the phones when purchasing them, the company said.

“At Target we continue to offer our guests the best in electronics, so we're happy to add iPhone to our Target Mobile offerings,” Mark Schindele, senior vice president of merchandising for Target, said in a statement. “With expert support from Target Mobile specialists and in-store activation, our guests will be able to leave the store with a new, working iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 in hand.”

The retailer said that its Target Mobile centers offer the latest cell phones, accessories, and data plans. The company also offers an electronic trade-in service, which allows customers to swap used cell phones and other electronic devices for credit toward Target purchases.

While 846 Target locations currently offer Target Mobile centers, the company said that it will be rolling out the service to most of its stores by mid-2011.

Target-which operates a retail segment and a credit-card segment-currently serves guests at 1,752 stores in 49 states and through its Web site. It is Minnesota's second-largest public company based on its revenue, which totaled $65.4 billion in its most recently completed fiscal year.