Target dropping Amazon’s Kindle

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.

Snyder declined to comment further about its partnership with Apple, only saying, “We will continue to offer our guests a full assortment of e-readers and supporting accessories.”

Private sector survey finds April jobs down

WASHINGTON – A private survey shows U.S. businesses sharply reduced hiring in April, a cautionary sign two days before the government reports on monthly job growth.

Payroll provider ADP said Wednesday that businesses added just 119,000 jobs last month, far lower than a revised total of 201,000 jobs in March.

The number of jobs added was the fewest ADP has reported in seven months. Stock futures fell slightly after the report was released.

The survey covers hiring only in the private sector. And it has been known to deviate sharply from the government’s figures, which will be released on Friday. For example, the government said employers added just 120,000 jobs in March – much lower than ADP’s estimate.

Many economists said the ADP figures would not lead them to change their forecasts. Analysts expect the government will report Friday that employers added 163,000 jobs in April, according to a survey by FactSet. The unemployment rate is expected to stay at 8.2 percent.