Dell announced on Wednesday it would close all its mall kiosks in the United States, naming the lagging sales the main reason for this decision. Dell launched these mall kiosks back in 2002, when the company considered it should give potential customers the chance to touch and try its products before purchasing them directly from the company. But, because of lagging sales last year, the company added retailers as an option for those considering one of its products. Dell is also selling its products directly.

The company announced that the kiosks outside the United States would remain open, as only its 140 mall kiosks from the U.S. would be closed. "This move fits in with how our broad global retail strategy is evolving," said Tony Weiss, Dell’s global consumer business’ vice president.

According to the company, at the moment its computers are available in more than 10,000 stores worldwide. Retailers include Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Staples in the U.S., Carrefour, Tesco and DSG International in Europe, Carphone Warehouse in the U.K., Bic Camera in Japan, Gome in China and Courts in Singapore. Wal-Mart is selling Dell’s systems also in Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

Despite the fact that most of its customers still choose to buy their products directly from Dell, via the Internet or phone, the company decided to partner with retailers once rival Hewlett-Packard grabbed market share more than a year ago to eventually surpass Dell and become the largest computer maker of the world.