Dixons Group takes another bite of Apple

Dixons Stores Group has rekindled relations with Apple after an eight-month split, joining high street chain the John Lewis Partnership in selling the iMac.

The move comes after the relationship between Dixons and Apple was severed earlier this year when Apple chose to sell through John Lewis (PC Dealer, 4 February).

The latest deal, effective from November, will make iMacs available in all 58 PC World stores and the top 10 branches of Dixons and Currys.

One reseller said he thought selling at Dixons would raise Apple's profile and would not decrease customers' willingness to visit dealers for value add. He added Dixons had been let down in the past by training employees insufficiently on Apple products, but Apple had promised to support staff training.

Jon Molyneux, managing director of Apple UK, denied there had been any disagreement with Dixons earlier this year, insisting there had 'never been an exclusive agreement' between the vendor and John Lewis.

The iMac was launched on 5 September, with some retailers opening at midnight to cash in on anticipated demand. Dixons will also stock Macintosh software, printers, data storage devices and other iMac peripherals.

A Dixons representative refused to comment on who approached who over the deal.

John Lewis also refused to comment, but said the iMac launch at the retailer had been successful.