Inmac
Encyclopedia
Inmac which became a publicly-traded company, was founded in 1975 in Silicon Valley. The company was first listed on the NASDAQ
in 1987 and later merged with MicroWarehouse
in 1996.
Inmac was founded by Ken Eldred and Jim Willenborg, who met while in the MBA program at Stanford Business School. With $5,000 and a grocery bag full of connector parts, Eldred and Willenborg set out to serve minicomputer owners by mail order. After being turned down by venture capitalists, they raised $50,000 from friends and family. This bootstrapping
meant the company remained closely held by the founders. The company was quickly profitable, and no additional funding was required until Inmac went public.
Inmac was the first company to sell computer-related products and accessories via direct-mail catalogs. From its initial Palo Alto, California location, Inmac expanded internationally to England
(1980), Germany
(1981), Sweden
(1982), France
(1982)the Netherlands (1984), Canada
(1985), Italy
(1988), and Japan
(1990). By 1989, Inmac was publishing 35 million catalogs in eight different languages, as international sales accounted for more than half the company's revenue. When the company was sold to MicroWarehouse
in 1996, it had 1,500 employees and annual revenue over $400 million.
Inmac instituted a number of trend-setting practices including customer calls being answered on the first ring. All items carried a one-year no-hassle return policy and a two-year minimum product performance guarantee. At all locations around the world, typically 95% of orders received by 5pm were shipped that same day most often for next day receipt. Within certain areas, deliveries would be made within six hours.
In 2005, the French subsidiary, Inmac France, was sold to the French retailer Wstore and became Inmac Wstore.
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
in 1987 and later merged with MicroWarehouse
MicroWarehouse
MicroWarehouse is one of the UK's largest and longest established direct resellers of branded IT products and services to business. At the height of their industry dominance Micro Warehouse had 3500 employees in 13 different countries. By 2000 Micro Warehouse was the leading direct marketer and...
in 1996.
Inmac was founded by Ken Eldred and Jim Willenborg, who met while in the MBA program at Stanford Business School. With $5,000 and a grocery bag full of connector parts, Eldred and Willenborg set out to serve minicomputer owners by mail order. After being turned down by venture capitalists, they raised $50,000 from friends and family. This bootstrapping
Bootstrapping
Bootstrapping or booting refers to a group of metaphors that share a common meaning: a self-sustaining process that proceeds without external help....
meant the company remained closely held by the founders. The company was quickly profitable, and no additional funding was required until Inmac went public.
Inmac was the first company to sell computer-related products and accessories via direct-mail catalogs. From its initial Palo Alto, California location, Inmac expanded internationally to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(1980), Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(1981), Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(1982), France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(1982)the Netherlands (1984), Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(1985), Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(1988), and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(1990). By 1989, Inmac was publishing 35 million catalogs in eight different languages, as international sales accounted for more than half the company's revenue. When the company was sold to MicroWarehouse
MicroWarehouse
MicroWarehouse is one of the UK's largest and longest established direct resellers of branded IT products and services to business. At the height of their industry dominance Micro Warehouse had 3500 employees in 13 different countries. By 2000 Micro Warehouse was the leading direct marketer and...
in 1996, it had 1,500 employees and annual revenue over $400 million.
Inmac instituted a number of trend-setting practices including customer calls being answered on the first ring. All items carried a one-year no-hassle return policy and a two-year minimum product performance guarantee. At all locations around the world, typically 95% of orders received by 5pm were shipped that same day most often for next day receipt. Within certain areas, deliveries would be made within six hours.
In 2005, the French subsidiary, Inmac France, was sold to the French retailer Wstore and became Inmac Wstore.