Dell Moves Into European Retail

Computer maker Dell is expanding its push into retail, inking a deal with Carrefour Group to sell notebook and desktop systems in France, Belgium, and Spain.

Computer maker Dell may have made its name by elimianting the middle man and only selling directly to customers, but since the return of founder Michael Dell, the company has been looking shore up eroding sales figures by moving its products into traditional retail channels. Today, Dell unveiled another step in that strategy, announcing it has inked a deal with Carrefour Group to put Dell notebook and desktop systems in 365 retail locations in France, Belgium, and Spain beginning in January 2008, with Dell products landing in more stores in additional countries later in 2008.

“We’re delighted to have reached this agreement with Carrefour, which enables consumers to have greater access to Dell products in an environment where they can experience the look and feel of our products before purchasing”, said Mark Ormerod, Dell’s VP and general manager for consumer business in the European, African, and Middle Eastern markets, in a statement. “Beginning in January consumers in Europe will be able to call, click or visit to purchase award winning Dell products at great prices.”

According to Dell, the deal puts Dell products in nearly 10,000 retail locations around the world. The computer maker has previously announced deals with Gome stores in China, Wal-Mart, Staples, the UK’s Carphone Warehouse, Courts stores in Singapore, and Bic Camera in Japan.

The Carrefour Group is one of the world’s leading mass merchandisers, second only to Wal-Mart in revenue and overall sales figures. It operates “mega-marts,” combining attributes department stores, specialty shops, and grocery stores, in the European Union, Brazil, Argentina, and Columbia, as well as parts of Asia and North Africa.