Computer catalogers seem to be suffering from an identity crisis. This spring two of them announced that they were changing their corporate names.
In April, less than a year after formally changing its name from Creative Computers to IdeaMall, the holding company of computer catalogs PC Mall and Mac Mall said it would change its name again, to PC Mall. The switch is consistent with the company’s shifting focus to PCs and away from Macintosh computer products, chairman/president/CEO Frank Khulusi said in a statement. In addition to the two catalogs, the company operates two wholly owned subsidiaries: eLinux, which sells Linux-based solutions, and eCost.com, a Web-based multicategory supplier of high-tech products.
The name change, which was approved by the company’s board of directors on April 11, will become final following shareholder approval at the company’s annual meeting in early summer.
Then on May 10, $634 million Multiple Zones formally changed its name to Zones. The name change reflects “the company’s single point of contract strategy, creating unity across its divisions and focusing on the small to medium size business market,” according to a statement. The company’s divisions are Zones.com, PC Zone, Mac Zone, and Zones Business Solutions. All except Mac Zone will drop their existing names in favor of the new moniker.
The name change “takes advantage of the informal brand equity that the company has,” president/CEO Firoz Lalji said in a statement. “Zones is the name by which our customers and suppliers customarily refer to us.”