Dell to close shopping mall kiosks

Dell is closing its 140 retail kiosks inside US shopping malls as the company continues to embrace a strategy of placing its products inside well-known retail outlets such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

The Dell Direct Store model, as the kiosks are called, began in 2002 as a way to enable customers to touch and feel Dell products before purchasing systems direct from the company either online or via the phone. They offer the same prices and promotions that are available on Dell.com.

However, over the past six months, the company has adopted a retail strategy that lets Dell try to connect with new customers by enabling consumers to purchase its laptop and desktop computers in more than 10,000 retail outlets worldwide.

In December, Dell said it would begin selling a variety of its products through more than 900 Best Buy locations in the US, following other deals with Carrefour in Europe, Staples in the US, Courts in Singapore, Gome in China, Bic Camera Inc. in Japan, Carphone Warehouse in the UK and Wal-Mart in the US, Canada, Brazil and Mexico.

Dell's kiosks outside the US are not affected by the move.