SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY : Irvine’s ALR Expected to Announce First Deal With National Retail Chain

Advanced Logic Research, the Irvine-based maker of IBM-compatible computers, is expected to announce today that it has signed its first agreement with a national computer retail chain to sell ALR computers.

To date, ALR has sold its PCs primarily through computer resellers. As a relatively small PC maker in an intensely competitive business, the Irvine firm has had difficulty gaining space on retailers’ shelves as an alternative to International Business Machines and Compaq Computer.

The development is yet another boost for ALR, which sold stock to the public for the first time on April 11. Last week, the Irvine firm signed a distribution agreement with Softsel/Microamerica, a giant PC distributor based in El Segundo.

ALR expects to report its second-quarter results today.