Evesham prepares to storm high street

Retail Mail-order company secures deal to sell through Staples.

Evesham Micros has signalled a high street offensive after securing a deal to sell its PCs in office supplies giant Staples, as it targets the retail sector.

The mail-order organisation launched its operation in all 50 Staples stores on 19 March. The move marked the direct vendor's latest victory in its attack on the retail sector. It will also expand its business through BT shops and Rackhams, gaining a bridgehead in Northern Ireland through a deal with Shop Electric.

Shaun Morris, sales director at Evesham Micros, said: 'We had been involved in discussions for some time. Evesham PCs will be in all Staples stores. Last year we ran a pilot in Game and this year we have a number of retail operations either piloting or running. The intention is to offer mail-order prices on the high street.'

Morris - who negotiated the Staples deal - added the company was also pursuing OEM deals. However, he conceded it had faced some problems in the change from direct to retail. Negotiations with some retailers had ended in demands for margins that were higher than those made by the manufacturer.

Evesham established itself as an off-the-page and mail-order operation but has increasingly targeted other channels. It has maintained and increased its presence in catalogue operations including Littlewoods, Empire stores and QVC.

Pete Day, analyst at Inteco, said: 'Evesham is a well established company, but in the UK we have seen a diminishing number of people being influenced by magazines or relying on off-the-page vendors. That channel may no longer be enough. Everyone is taking the multi-channel approach.'

Staples was unavailable to comment on the move.