TECHNOLOGY : AST Research Signs Purchasing Accord With ComputerLand

AST Research switched gears on its distribution strategy and said Monday that it has signed a central purchasing agreement with ComputerLand Corp. to sell AST computers in more than 400 ComputerLand stores.

Previously, AST sold its computers directly to franchisees of ComputerLand. But the company said the agreement would enable a greater number of ComputerLand dealers to receive orders more quickly and efficiently through ComputerLand’s network of regional warehouses.

AST also announced that its Advantage! line of computers will be sold at ComputerLand Corp.’s ComputerLand Express super-store in Atlanta. At 33,000 square feet, the super-store is larger than most ComputerLand stores and is the first in a chain. The Advantage! line, aimed at first-time computer buyers, is also sold in Circuit City consumer electronics stores.

Adding to its network of overseas subsidiaries, AST has opened two sales subsidiaries in Antwerp, Belgium, and Stockholm, the company said last week.

The additions bring AST’s overseas subsidiaries to 34. The subsidiary in Belgium will sell goods in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The Stockholm unit will sell in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.