China is experiencing an explosive rate of growth when it comes to technology. When it comes to PCs, Chinese-based Lenovo already has a foot in the Chinese market, while companies like Gateway have recently decided to test the waters.

Today, Dell announced that it too will go after the Chinese retail PC market by offering desktops and notebooks though retail giant Gome. There are roughly 700 Gome stores scattered throughout 210 cities in China.

The PCs will be available in 50 major cities across China starting in October and will expand further in the first half of 2008. Dell will also make its employees available at Gome stores to push its products.

"I am confident that we made right decision to partner with a top-name brand to sustain our growth in China," said Gome VP Mu Guixian.

"Chinese consumers are increasingly sophisticated in how they buy and use technology, so it is only natural that a global brand like Dell partner with Gome to provide a preferred shopping experience," remarked Michael Tatelman, Dell's global vice president of marketing and sales.

Dell PCs available for purchase to Chinese customers include the XPS M1330 and Inspiron 1420 notebooks along with the XPS 720, Inspiron 530 and Dimension 9200 desktops.

Dell, which was founded upon a direct-sales model, first announced in late May that it would look to retail sales to expand its business. The retail push landed Dell PCs in 3,400 Wal-Mart stores and 3,000 Sams Club stores across the United States and Canada.

Dell has increasingly looked at the retail sector after losing the sales crown to Hewlett-Packard in 2006 under the helm of CEO Kevin Rollins. According to Gartner Inc., Dell's Q1 worldwide market share dropped nearly 8 percent while HP's market share rose roughly 29 percent during the same period.