Dell to Sell Through Best Buy Stores
After years of online-only sales, Dell earlier this year started working with brick-and-mortar retailers, as part of its "recovery plan." First was Wal-Mart, then Sam's Club, then Staples, and now they are going to sell through Best Buy stores.
Several models of XPS and Inspiron PCs will be available at 900 Best Buy locations, including the XPS M1330 in white, the Inspiron 1521 in blue and black, the Inspiron 1420 in black, and the all-in-one XPS One desktop. Other available desktops will be the Inspiron 530, 531, and 531s. More models and colors will be added in the next few months, Dell said.
"It's a big step for them. It's risky, but it's a gamble they had to make," said Richard Shim, PC market analyst for IDC. Dell has been ceding market share to HP for several quarters. As of the third quarter of this year, Dell shipped 27.8 percent of PCs sold in the U.S. HP is right behind with 24.1 percent of PCs shipped.
Several models of XPS and Inspiron PCs will be available at 900 Best Buy locations, including the XPS M1330 in white, the Inspiron 1521 in blue and black, the Inspiron 1420 in black, and the all-in-one XPS One desktop. Other available desktops will be the Inspiron 530, 531, and 531s. More models and colors will be added in the next few months, Dell said.
"It's a big step for them. It's risky, but it's a gamble they had to make," said Richard Shim, PC market analyst for IDC. Dell has been ceding market share to HP for several quarters. As of the third quarter of this year, Dell shipped 27.8 percent of PCs sold in the U.S. HP is right behind with 24.1 percent of PCs shipped.
Besides the U.S. deals, it has deals with Carrefour in Europe, Courts in Singapore, Gome in China, Bic Camera Inc. in Japan, Carphone Warehouse in the U.K. and Wal-Mart in Canada, Brazil and Mexico. All of this has occurred since May of this year.
