Dell Inc. said it will sell personal computers at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., in the biggest step away from its direct-sales strategy since the company was dethroned by Hewlett-Packard Co. as the industry leader.

The decision is the first move in a plan to sell through retailers worldwide, Dell spokesman Bob Pearson said yesterday. The second-largest PC maker will have two Dimension desktop models in more than 3,000 Wal-Mart stores in America, Canada, and Puerto Rico on June 10.

Michael Dell, who built the Round Rock, Texas-based company by shunning retailers and selling on its Web site and by phone, said this month he would seek partnerships with resellers to help revive sales and profit. That shift comes after Dell lost the PC market lead to Hewlett-Packard and sales growth fell to its lowest level in five years.

“It’s essential that Dell expand its distribution,” the president of Wolf Insights Inc. in New York, which tracks the PC market, Charlie Wolf, said. He personally owns Dell shares. “The direct distribution model has run out of steam in certain markets, and Dell’s pretty much captured the majority of people who are willing or prefer to shop direct.”

Shares of Dell fell 37 cents to $25.89 at 4 p.m. in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. They have gained 3.2% this year. Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, gained 32 cents to $46.65 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Wal-Mart said the PCs, which Dell will design exclusively for its stores, will each be sold as part of a “package bundle” for less than $700. The PCs will have chips from Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Dell said on its Direct2Dell.comblog.

“Our customers are asking us for additional ways to purchase our products,” Mr. Pearson said in an interview. “While we can’t get into specifics, in the coming quarters there will be additional activity in support of this move into global retail.”

As Dell worked to fix customer service problems in America, the world’s largest PC market, Hewlett-Packard won consumers with notebook PCs. Hewlett-Packard sold low-priced machines through retailers where shoppers could touch and see before they bought.

Hewlett-Packard works with more than 100,000 retailers worldwide to sell PCs, including Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart and Richfield, Minn.’s Best Buy Co., the largest American consumer-electronics retailer.

Those partners contributed to a 26% jump in Hewlett-Packard shipments in America in the first quarter, according to Framingham, Mass.-based researcher IDC. Dell fell 14%. Hewlett-Packard, which lost the market lead to Dell in 2003, has claimed the top spot for the past three quarters.