Struggling Dell enters partnership

Dell Inc said yesterday it will begin selling personal computer products through Gome Group, China's largest electronic retailer, in a move to win back consumers by going beyond its direct-sales model.

Under the agreement, Dell products will go on sale next month at 50 Gome outlets and will expand to more stores nationwide in the first half of next year.

The deal has broken Dell's long-held model of provisioning products through the Internet and over the phone in China, where the world's second-biggest PC maker has lagged behind competitors Lenovo and HP.