MANILA, Philippines--Dell has its sights on finally selling in the retail channel in the Philippines but its local head will not say exactly when retail operations will start.

The American PC maker last year announced it would pursue a retail strategy, a significant move away from its direct sales model.

In an interview, Barry Bunyi, Dell Philippines country manager, said Dell was likely to choose a retail partner to serve the local market.

"We will most probably name one exclusive partner similar to other countries in the region like Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia," he said.

Bunyi, however, said there is no timetable yet on when Dell will make the announcement, although he said it would take place this year.

This retail strategy is part of Dell's plan to target consumers and small business users. Locally, Dell sells mostly to corporate customers through resellers.

"This year, we will give more focus on SMBs [small- and medium-sized businesses] or those with 500 and below users," Bunyi said in a briefing during which Dell announced the availability of new PowerEdge servers.

Citing analyst figures, Bunyi said Dell currently holds a 21-percent share of overall corporate PC market in the country (in terms of total units shipped), which includes desktop and Intel-based servers.