Dell announces first retail deal in Europe

Dell just lobbed its initial retail sortie into Europe. Starting January, 365 Carrefour Group stores in France, Belgium, and Spain will now carry Dell laptops and desktops. That brings Dell's retail presence to nearly 10,000 brick and mortar locations worldwide including Staples (US), Wal-Mart (US, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico), Bic Camera (Japan), Gome (China), Courts (Singapore), and Carphone Warehouse in the UK. No, the UK is not part of Europe -- it's an island (cluster)!

[Via Notebook Italia]

[Brian @ Nov 27th 2007 5:33AM]

Perhaps they should worry about getting the quality of their machines back to how they were a few years ago...

And I own shares so I do care....

[Maff @ Nov 27th 2007 5:34AM]

you thick ****
learn your Geography before you say something stupid like the UK isn't part of Europe!
Which continent is it in then?

The UK isn't an island, England, Wales & Scotland are an island together (Britain) but the UK includes Northern Ireland too.

[Andrew @ Nov 27th 2007 5:41AM]

I second that!

[Sheldon @ Nov 27th 2007 5:57AM]

Please, a bit of temper before you reply. Tom was simply reflecting the sentiment in the Dell press release - yes, it was *Dell* NOT Tom who implied that the UK was not part of Europe.

And I think you've forgotten about a number of other islands that comprise Britain (Isle of Wight, Anglesey, the Isles of Scilly, the Hebrides and the island groups of Orkney and Shetland). Or were you referring to Great Britain? or the British Isles maybe?

[PJK @ Nov 27th 2007 6:54AM]

The British Isles is an offensive anachronism which should no longer be used, unless you like picking fights in the "Republic" of Ireland.

[Sphynx @ Nov 27th 2007 8:47AM]

Actually I always thought it would be USS GreatBritain - the US' biggest aircraft carrier ;-)

[TheWakeUpCall @ Nov 28th 2007 3:13PM]

I don't see the UK as part of Europe, not politically. I would not be.

[G5 Power @ Nov 27th 2007 5:37AM]

Woah Woah Woah, that better have been a sarcastic comment because the UK is part of Europe even though we are an island.

[Amadej @ Nov 27th 2007 5:40AM]

As a fellow European, I find the UK comment funny. :P

[Carbonize @ Nov 27th 2007 5:41AM]

Typical American. Ask them about any place outside their own state and they're lost. The UK (United Kingdom) consists of four UNITED Kingdoms (funny that). England, Scotland, Wales and NORTHERN IRELAND which is not connected to the mainland UK in any physical way.

Oh and learn to copy stories properly. It's the Carphone Warehouse as it clearly states on the PR Inside page, "Carphone Warehouse in the U.K".

[Carbonize @ Nov 27th 2007 5:45AM]

Actually I should apologise as I'm just assuming Mr. Rickers is American as opposed to just ignorant.

[Thomas Ricker @ Nov 27th 2007 5:52AM]

Heh, you're right, I don't live in the US. Fixed the typos. The whole island comment is indeed tongue-in-cheek. Having lived in London on and off for 6 years (not currently), I've been told numerous times by its residents that they are not part of Europe. Europeans "live on the Continent."

P.S. And it's "Ricker" -- see, copying isn't so easy. ;-)

Thomas

[Carbonize @ Nov 27th 2007 6:07AM]

Yes but I have the same level of respect for most Londoners as I do for most Americans. There are a few good ones but they are mostly ignorant and arrogant.

In the words of the guy from Fantastic Four, "Flame On!"

I was also going to add about Jersey, Guernsey, Scilliy Isles and other places such as the Shetlands but you've corrected that now.

BTW I guessed you weren't in the US due to the time. Unless you're the night shift blogger.

Oh and I put Rickers because my mind was thinking one thing and my fingers were typing something else.

[Thomas Ricker @ Nov 27th 2007 6:31AM]

I would argue that the *vast majority* of Europeans (not to mention the rest of the world) can not explain the differences between the UK, Great Britain, British Isles, the Commonwealth, etc without a quick Google. It's not just my colleagues in the US who fail that test.

Thomas

[nak @ Nov 27th 2007 6:36AM]

Whenever I see Mr. Ricker post I think of Thomas Riker, you know, Will T's transporter duplicate.

[Carbonize @ Nov 27th 2007 6:47AM]

I think we in the UK probably have a better grasp of geography because of being taught about the great commonwealth in school. You remember back in the old days when we colonised (read invaded) most of the world. Funny how it's only evil when the Nazi's or the Mongol's do it yet when the British did it it was called civilised. And before we get into the debate about Nazi concentration camps etc just remember that the British invented them.

That and we're only small so not a lot to remember. I think only Luxemburg is smaller.

[PJK @ Nov 27th 2007 6:55AM]

Again in a response to its repeated use, "The British Isles" is an offensive anachronism used when Ireland was an occupied territory under British rule. This is no longer the case, the Irish government will rebuke any use of the term and in general the Irish public, myself included find its use insensitive and depending on the user downright offensive.

[USSHoratio @ Nov 27th 2007 6:57AM]

Actually plenty are a lot smaller than the UK. American College student here:
Monaco, Andorra, Malta, Luxembourg, the Vatican, San Marino, Lichtenstein, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania... Belgium and the Netherlands, Probably Portugal and Switzerland too...
Please stop being a stereotyping bigot. And after spending a summer in continental Europe are discussing this i can say that more than a few Europeans did consider the British Isles to not be a part of Europe... They share that sentiment with Russia quite often. This discussion was often predicated by a stereotyping statement about dumb Americans in Spanish, Italian, or maybe French, after having a conversation with me in broken English, blissfully unaware we can learn many tongues too!

[Carbonize @ Nov 27th 2007 7:30AM]

Americans are perceived as dumb, ignorant and arrogant because of your vocal minority (or is that majority?) such as your president and Charlton Heston. Not to mention the high number of friendly fire incidents caused by your military. Oh and the usual stupid argument we get about how we British would all be speaking German if it wasn't for America.

[USSHoratio @ Nov 27th 2007 8:48AM]

Dumb and ignorant you say? Well while I'm sure you would disagree i find that misconception far less historically based than the one of all the limeys speaking German if not for the yanks... You tease and ridicule stupid statements by Americans from the generic tourist to our head of govt/state but the things you say to generalize all Americans that way are just as stupid, talk about some intellectual high ground eh? Carbonize, it was people like you that justified the very British imperialism you vilified. Get off your high horse and wade through the stupidity of marketing campaigns with the rest of us.

[Carbonize @ Nov 27th 2007 8:55AM]

Of course the very best thing about Americans is how gullible they are and how quick they attack anyone who says anything against their 'great' country.

Images of Rodney Marsh pretending to have a fishing rod come to mind ;)

[Jon @ Nov 27th 2007 5:42AM]

Also little sus about the "carphone house" thing because its a phone shop its also called carphone warehouse

[SuperPrime @ Nov 27th 2007 5:43AM]

I dunno Carrefour Romania has been carrying Dell Laptops from time to time. Not to mention every computer store (online and brick+mortar) has Dell laptops on display.

[Mercator @ Nov 27th 2007 5:47AM]

"No, the UK is not part of Europe -- it's an island!"

So Long Island isn't part of North America? I never knew!

[xgwynn @ Nov 27th 2007 5:56AM]

I wish we weren't part of Europe

[SuperPrime @ Nov 27th 2007 6:11AM]

We wish you weren't part of Europe too :P

[xgwynn @ Nov 27th 2007 6:22AM]

I understand why you would think that.

[Jon @ Nov 27th 2007 6:56AM]

I wish we are part of Euro 08. But we obviously are not good enough.

[Joe @ Nov 27th 2007 7:20AM]

Carrefour, do-do-do-dooooo!

[strider_mt2k @ Nov 27th 2007 7:49AM]

I remember Carrefour being in the US for about five minutes.

The store near us was actually pretty nice.

[Gary @ Nov 27th 2007 7:50AM]

Not that this has anything to do with Dell, but Carrefour is an interesting store. They used to have one just outside of Philadelphia, across from the Franklin Mills Outlet Mall. The place was so big the salespeople wore roller skates.....

[Radon @ Nov 27th 2007 11:09AM]

This retail deal is partly due to the opening of a Dell factory in Poland. They are working at close to full steam at the moment.

[Wilder.K.Wight @ Nov 27th 2007 11:36AM]

If you consider an island to be "a land mass surrounded by water on all sides" then you could say Australia is an island, and the Americas is an island chain. Where's the size distinction, here?

Apparently, there IS no size distinction between continent and island.

I say we start calling the U.K. a continent. Why not? If their penal colony can be a continent, then why not the former rulers of the Earth? Hasn't the British Empire earned that much, at least?

[Jukka @ Nov 27th 2007 11:59AM]

Hey hey hey!

Finland is part of Europe and here the local Elisa has been selling Dell computers in their stores for couple of months now!

[DG @ Nov 27th 2007 1:21PM]

Right then... the UK (= England, Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland, Multiple small islands) IS in the EU, and is classed as on the European continent, so we are in Europe and we are European !! Is this clear ?? or do i need to show you all a map ??
OK, we don't use the €uro, but Denmark is attached to the European continent yet this country doesn't use the €uro !!

[Andrew @ Nov 27th 2007 2:43PM]

Considering how the UK and Ireland are the only European countries (EU) not party to the Schengen-agreement, and the open borders, it's increasingly looking like you're not part of Europe - but that island everyone wants fenced off and guarded ;)

You say to keep us out, we say to keep you in :D
I seem to remember something about an island you Brits used for "unwanted elements", hehe. Australia was it? Maybe that's what's going on.
regards from a non-EU-but-Schengen-European :)

[TheWakeUpCall @ Nov 28th 2007 3:09PM]

Since when did carephone warehouse sold any computers.. let alone dells.