ComputerLand

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ComputerLand began operations in 1976. It was one of the retail outlets chosen by IBM to market its first Personal computer in 1981.

Indeed Computerland was perhaps the most important leader of this retail 'revolution'. Its founder was William H Millard. In 1974 he launched a company, IMSAI, to build what was claimed to be the first truly integrated personal computers, sold as kits to hobbyists and the rapidly growing numbers of retailers (through small ads in 'Popular Electronics'). The computer, the IMSAI 8080, may not have made Millard's fortune, but his resulting experiences with the inexperienced and under‑capitalized retailers did! In 1976 (at the same time as the Byte Shop was selling its first few Apples) he asked his Sales Director, Ed Faber (an ex‑IBM Manager), to start a new franchise operation, soon to become Computerland. Faber first designed a pilot store, at Hayward, California, with the then revolutionary concept of providing a 'full service' store offering under one roof all that the customer needed to support their PC's. He then moved very rapidly to set up the franchises. The first franchisee was in Morristown, New Jersey, and was rapidly followed by a chain across the US. It set a pattern that dominated PC retailing for the next decade. By the time IBM arrived on the scene the network of branches, all run by franchisees, had grown to 190 in number. By the end of 1985, when Millard retired, there were some 800 branches (including some 200 outside the US) and he had become another of the computer billionaires. Most of Computerland later succumbed to the predations of the 'box-shifters' in the price wars of the later 1980s after the peak has passed.[[1]]

Vanstar was the name selected for ComputerLand corporate sales (Pleasanton, California) in 1994 after the sale of split off franchisor to Merisel. Defunct February 1999 when due to financial reporting which caused a steep decline in share price, they were purchased by one of their competitors, Inacom. During the one year before Inacom filed for bankruptcy, parts of the old Vanstar distribution/configuration/call center operations were sold to Compaq Computer. Inacom ceased operations completely in 2000.

[edit] References

• David Mercer, "IBM: How the World's Most Successful Corporation is Managed", Kogan Page 1987 [[2]]

[edit] Further reading

• Littman, Jonathan (1987). Once Upon a Time in ComputerLand: The Amazing, Billion-Dollar Tale of Bill Millard. Los Angeles: Price Stern Sloan. ISBN 0-89586-502-5.