BROOKLYN, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MakerBot, the global leader in desktop 3D printing, is excited to announce a distribution and sales agreement with Micro Center stores in the United States. The agreement with Micro Center will expand MakerBot’s retail presence to 25 Micro Center stores located in 16 states. The Micro Center stores will be selling the line of MakerBot products, including the MakerBot® Replicator® 2 Desktop 3D Printer, the MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer, the MakerBot® Digitizer™ Desktop 3D Scanner, MakerBot® Filament, and the MakerBot MakerCare parts protection plan, as well as MakerBot’s new fifth generation of MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers when they are available this spring, which includes the MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printer, the MakerBot Replicator Mini Compact 3D Printer, and the MakerBot Replicator Z18 3D Printer. This is the second strategic brick and mortar retail partnership for MakerBot, outside of a relationship with Microsoft retail stores, and MakerBot’s own three MakerBot retails stores in New York, Boston, and Greenwich, Conn.
“Having MakerBot products available at the Micro Center stores, which are focused on providing a technological retail experience to a knowledgeable computer user, is expected to allow us to reach a broader audience that is interested in 3D printing and scanning,” noted Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot. “Our customer base has always included computer enthusiasts, and partnering with Micro Center is a nice complement to our already existing distribution channels. We can’t wait to see how Micro Center’s customers embrace 3D printing and scanning.”
MakerBot is focused on providing a 3D printing Ecosystem and 3D printing platform that contributes to the overall user experience, ease of use, and accessibility for MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printers and Scanners. Having products available at retail locations like Micro Center stores can contribute to the Ecosystem and may provide customers a chance to experience MakerBot products in person, where they can come in to the retail store and see, touch and experience 3D printing first-hand, as well as purchase products and take them home or to the office immediately upon purchase.
“Micro Center customers are the first adopters of new technology and we are experiencing significant demand for 3D printing and scanning capability,” said Richard Mershad, CEO of Micro Center. “MakerBot is the premier brand in this exciting new category and offering its products through our locations nationwide enables us to provide a full array of best-in-class technology options for our customers, which is what they’ve come to expect from us. Moreover, our sales associates will be fully versed in the capabilities and features of the MakerBot technology so customers will be able to learn before they buy.”
Micro Center (a subsidiary of Micro Electronics, Inc., headquartered in Columbus, Ohio) is a technology retailer focused on knowledgeable computer users. Through its soon-to-be 25 large-market locations nationwide, its eCommerce website www.microcenter.com and industry-leading selection of premier brands such as Dell, Apple, HP, ASUS, GigaByte, Corsair and many others, Micro Center reaches huge numbers of active, tech-savvy and upscale customers. In addition, Micro Center stores service the business communities in which they reside, with a large portion of their sales coming from commercial entities. Micro Center emphasizes presentation of technical solutions through highly trained associates, extensive in-store displays and feature-laden targeted advertising.
Micro Center stores are located in:
Tustin, Calif.; Denver; Atlanta (2); Chicago (2); Kansas City, Kan.; Boston; Rockville and Towson, Md.; Detroit; Minneapolis; St. Louis; Westbury, LI and Yonkers, N.Y.; North Jersey/Paterson, N.J.; Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus; Philadelphia; Dallas, Houston; and Fairfax, Va. Two new locations are scheduled to debut in February 2014 in Queens, N.Y and Brooklyn, N.Y., which is adjacent to the MakerBot Factory in the Brooklyn Sunset Park neighborhood.
About MakerBot
MakerBot, a subsidiary of Stratasys, Ltd., is leading the Next Industrial Revolution by setting the standards in reliable and affordable desktop 3D printing. Founded in 2009, MakerBot has built the largest installed base of desktop 3D printers sold to innovative and industry-leading customers worldwide, including engineers, architects, designers, educators and consumers. The MakerBot 3D Ecosystem drives accessibility and rapid adoption of 3D printing and includes: Thingiverse.com, the MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner, the MakerBot Replicator line of Desktop 3D Printers, MakerWare software, MakerCare, the MakerBot retail store, and strategic partnerships with top-tier brands. MakerBot has been honored with many accolades, including Popular Mechanics’ “Overall Winner” for best 3D printer, Time Magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2012,” Popular Mechanics’ “Editor’s Choice Award,” Popular Science’s “Product of the Year,” Fast Company’s “One of the World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Consumer Electronics,” and many more. Join the Next Industrial Revolution by following MakerBot at makerbot.com.
About Stratasys
Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq:SSYS), headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. and Rehovot, Israel, manufactures 3D printers and materials for prototyping and production. The company’s patented FDM® and PolyJet® 3D printing technologies produce prototypes and manufactured goods directly from 3D CAD files or other 3D content. Systems include 3D printers for idea development, prototyping and direct digital manufacturing. Stratasys subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape and the company operates the RedEye digital-manufacturing service. Stratasys has more than 1,700 employees, holds over 500 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents globally, and has received more than 20 awards for its technology and leadership. Online at: stratasys.com or blog.stratasys.com.
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