SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

Distribution Accord: Advanced Logic Research Inc. has reached an agreement with Softsel/Microamerica to distribute ALR’s line of personal computers in the United States.

Softsel Computer Products, which merged April 9 with rival Microamerica to form a computer products distributor with an estimated $1.1 billion in annual sales, already distributes ALR products in the United Kingdom, Canada and West Germany.

“We were just waiting for the Softsel and Microamerica merger to take place,” said Dave Kirkey, ALR’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Now, with the addition of Softsel/Microamerica, we expect to see stronger marketing and improved customer support in the United States.”

ALR said the agreement is beneficial because it expands the number of dealers who will carry its products.

Mark Matheson, an analyst with Cruttenden & Co. in Newport Beach, said getting “shelf space” with computer dealers and retailers is a difficult task for small PC makers. ALR’s next step, he said, will be to find space on the shelves of major retailer ComputerLand.