Dell announces major retail partnership with Officeworks

Dell Australia today announced a major retail partnership with Officeworks, in a deal that will see the retailer selling 10 models of the Round Rock, Texas-based company's laptops and PCs, as well as printers, ink, and flat panel displays.

The Australian agreement follows a line of worldwide retail agreements Dell has made, including with Best Buy and Wal-mart in the US, and Tesco in the UK.

Evan Williams, general manager for Consumer Sales and Marketing for South Asia, said that Dell was proud to make available its "full range of award winning products in 104 stores across the country".

"It's a very dramatic step in our evolution," Williams said. "As you know, we've been direct, we've had a very successful direct model. We're giving consumers the offer to buy through a retail store outlet."

The deal is not intended to lessen Dell's online or kiosk presence, with Williams assuring that "in selected stores, consumers will be able to go in and use Dell.com to customise" their PCs.

"We're finding that in this market today, the notebook market is driving a lot of the growth. In that market, people are more and more conscious about the design of the product, they want it to be cool, to complement their style, the more they can see the product and touch the product it benefits them".

Consumers may find a price discrepancy between online- and store-bought models, as Officeworks is responsible for setting the in-store retail price.

Officeworks will begin selling Dell products from Monday, 5th May, with prices ranging from AU$999 to AU$1,800.