Dell Inc, the world's second-largest maker of personal computers, will hire sales and customer-service workers in China and India amid an expansion in Asia as expanding economies spur consumer spending.

 

"We want to grow our presence in the retail stores and on our own," Steve Felice, president of Dell's Asia operations, said in an interview in Singapore on Friday.

 

Dell seeks to expand Asia's 14 percent contribution to its revenue to cope with falling demand in the United States and to catch up with larger rival Hewlett-Packard Co.

 

Texas-based Dell's sales in Asia rose 18 percent in the fiscal third quarter ended on November 2, while Hewlett-Packard's gained 20 percent in the most recent three-month period. The region accounts for 17 percent of Hewlett-Packard's sales.

 

Dell was Asia's third-largest computer seller, with an 8.8 percent share, in the third quarter, behind Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo Group Ltd, according to researcher IDC.

 

"We've gained share in every emerging market," Felice said, without specifying figures.

 

(Shanghai Daily December 3, 2007)