Staples To Sell Dell PCs, Printers, LCDs

The Round Rock, Texas-based Dell said it will offer a series of notebooks, desktops, inket printers, laster printers and LCDs through Staples. Earlier this year, Dell began selling some PCs through Walmart.

In a statement, Dell said its branded products will include Inspiron 1721 and 1521 notebooks, Inspiron 530 desktops, all-in-one inkjet printers and the Dell 1320c laser printer, in addition to 19-inch and 22-inch LCDs. Staples will resell Dell ink and toner, the company said.

Dell is in the midst of trying to transform its company from a market-share losing, direct PC maker with sales and profit under pressure, into a growth-oriented company with major retail, commercial reseller and direct sales reach. While Dell executives have said they intend to embrace solution providers and work to grow its $9 billion in annual, indirect sales, the company has yet to deliver a new channel program or rules of engagemen to solution providers. Dell executives say that would come by year's end.

Dell's entry into the U.S. office retail space follows rivals including Apple, Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard, Acer and Gateway over the past two years. Staples already sells PCs from Hewlett-Packard, Acer and Toshiba, among others.

The retail segment has been among those at Dell that have underperformed the rest of the market during that time.