Dell Computers have today announced plans to break with their historical policy of being a pure ecommerce retailer. The online computer retailer has lost ground this year to competitors such as Hewlett Packard, who have seen a 28% increase in PC sales for Q1 2007, which has prompted them to abandon their twenty year policy of being exclusively a direct sales retailer. Dell have plans to open retail stores across the UK and have also announced a new deal with Chinese electronics retailer Gome which will see them offering Dell products in their stores in over 160 cities across China. This is a similar move to Dell’s tie-up with Wal Mart in the US where Dell Computers have been available to buy offline for some time.

Dell Australia have not announced whether they will be following suit with high street stores but it seems that Dell are changing their worldwide selling policies so expect to see some news soon. The affect on Dell customers could be wide ranging, for example technical support would be easier as you could drop your computer in at a shop but it may also have an affect on pricing as Dell can sell their low cost computers because they don’t have to invest in storefronts and customer facing shop staff. Interesting times ahead and as always we will report on the news as we get it!