Dell shutters its kiosks as part of a new retail strategy

In a move possibly intended to shift focus to its efforts in retail stores, computer manufacturer Dell Inc. said that it will shut down its retail kiosks in about 140 malls nationwide.

"Moving into retail is a prime example of Dell listening to its customers," global consumer business chief Tony Weiss said in a statement. "This move fits in with how our broad global retail strategy is evolving."

Dell opened its first kiosk in 2002. The effort was intended to allow consumers to test out the company's products before they bought them. While they could not buy the actual PC there, it did take orders to ship products to the customer's home.

The closure takes effect Thursday. It makes sense, however: with Dell computers now available in 10,000 retail locations worldwide, the consumer can just as easily go into one of those outlets and test out Dell equipment there.

Since June, the company has made a flurry of retail announcements, including deals with Best Buy and Staples here in the US, as well as Gome in China and Bic Camera in Japan, among several others.

About 50 kiosks in malls outside of the US will remain open however, according to the company.