Dell Inc. CEO Michael Dell told an interviewer from crn.com that the company is going to be “quite aggressive” on expanding its retail operation, and expects to open inside “a lot more” retail locations in the U.S. and other countries. Dell talked at length about direct and indirect channels, partners and distributors. When asked about the company’s bricks and mortar plans, Dell replied, “I think you’ll be quite interested to see what we do, and it’s going to be quite aggressive. I think you’ll see Dell showing up in a lot more retail locations–not only here in the U.S. but also in major countries around the world over the next several quarters. So stay tuned.” His comments didn’t specifically indicate more retail stores, but rather a presence at more retail locations. Dell opened a single retail store in the Northpark mall (Tex.) in August 2006. Dell Inc. had announced a second store in New York, but in April 2007 said those plans had been cancelled. [Also read Larry Dignan's perspective on the zdnet.com Web site.]
Four days after Mr. Dell’s retail statements, the company announced that it would begin selling computers at Wal-Mart starting June 10th. Spokesperson Dwayne Cox said the deal is part of the company’s evolving strategy to add sales channels. “Our customers are asking us for additional ways to buy our stuff, to buy our products,” Cox told ChannelWeb.com. “We plan to do that, to deliver against their request on a global level.” Apparently just two models will be offered at Wal-Mart, a Dimension e521 without monitor, or with a 19-inch LCD display. Wal-Mart has 3,000 locations in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
