Dell's retail reach extends to Russia, U.K., Mexico and Brazil so far.
But if Dell's impending retail push is bad news for HP, it's no slam-dunk for Dell either.
Dell has countered by striking retail deals around the world with Wal-Mart and most recently with Staples.
Meanwhile, the drab designs that once appealed to business customers who were more concerned about price than good looks won't work in retail, where Dell has turned in an effort to bolster its consumer business.
Dell has countered by striking retail deals around the world with Wal-Mart (nyse: WMT - news - people ) and most recently with Staples (nasdaq: SPLS - news - people ).
While Dell isn't detailing its retail efforts, it's already clear who will get hurt first: Hewlett-Packard .
This meant that Dell did not have to include the cost of the retail channel in its prices, according to the Harvard Business School case, Matching Dell, that I used to teach.
To moderates, too: In six months Dell, with no sales from any retail stores, has placed its products in 10, 000 outlets.
For one thing, Dell's not selling PCs through retail outlets like Best Buy or Wal-Mart as it did before.
In hopes that it might stimulate stagnant PC sales in Japan, Dell is even selling the XPS One at retail in Bic Camera stores.
Still, nothing approaches Dell's radical decision to move into retail sales.
In fact, Kelly Dell'Aquila, the company's VP of retail development, got her start at Starbucks, as a barista.
"Dell's focus on the consumer and push into the retail channel may not prove to be the best timing, " Fidicaro wrote.
Desperate for sales growth, struggling PC maker Dell has decided the quickest way to get it lies through retail king Wal-Mart Stores .
Dell made the decision to replace Rollins as he saw a newly energized HP--with streamlined production, cool new offerings in TVs, cameras and handhelds, and 110, 000 retail outlets--slash prices and snatch away Dell's lead.
That's not a complete surprise - Dell execs have been signaling for a while that they would head to retail sales channels.
At other times focus was on reaching into retail channels to better compete for U. S. consumers where Dell was not top dog.
Dell, long known for its direct-sales model, began selling computers through retail outlets last year.
Dell says that in 18 months from now he intends to have two or three retail partners in each of the 20 countries with the highest GDP.
Both should also benefit some from the recent problems that Dell is having with its direct sales model, once thought to be a bigger threat to retail store computer sales.
Dell confirmed Thursday that the struggling PC giant--which rose to the top in the hardscrabble computer retail business by hawking its wares directly to its customers--will start selling desktop computers through 3, 000 Wal-Mart outlets starting June 10.
In the 1990s, it was easy for Dell to use its direct-sales model to take share from companies like Compaq that were selling through higher cost retail stores.
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