Dell Partner Program

In late 2007 Dell Inc announced[citation needed] that it planned to expand its program to value-added resellers (VARs), giving it the official name of "Dell Partner Direct" and a new website [2]. Dell Inc realized[citation needed] that this program, once a small factor in Dell Inc sales, had become a growing sector of its business and it desired[citation needed] to leverage this growing outlet for its products. It promised VARs who joined this program increased discounts on product and the ability to use the Dell name and logo in their marketing efforts. ConnectU became an early member[citation needed] of the program.

The overall success of this program — as a new development for Dell Inc — remains unclear[citation needed].

Retail in the United States

In the early 1990s Dell also sold its products through Best Buy, Costco and Sam's Club stores in the United States. Dell stopped this practice in 1994, citing low profit-margins on the business. In 2003, Dell briefly sold products in Sears stores in the U.S. In 2007, Dell started shipping its products to major retailers in the U.S. once again, starting with Sam's Club and Wal-Mart. Staples, the largest office-supply retailer in the U.S., and Best Buy, the largest electronics retailer in the U.S., became Dell retail partners later that same year.