Inacom Corp

Ascolta Training Co., a provider of computer network services, said Wednesday it has purchased Inacom Education Services of San Diego, a unit of technology management services provider Inacom Corp. Financial details were not disclosed. Inacom Education has assumed the Ascolta Training name.

Compaq Computer Corp. said it is acquiring operations from computer distributor Inacom Corp. that will boost its ability to custom-build personal computers, part of its strategy for competing with Dell Computer Corp., the world's No. 1 PC direct seller. Compaq, the world's largest personal computer maker, will pay $370 million in cash for the Inacom assets, which will help it configure computers for its customers and manage the entire ordering process.

Sears Selling Business Center Division: Sears, Roebuck & Co. announced an agreement to sell its Sears Business Center division to InaCom Corp., a marketer of computers and communications systems based in Omaha, Neb. The parties did not disclose the purchase price of the Sears unit, which sells and services office computing equipment. The parties expect to close the deal within 30 days.

Ascolta Training Co., a provider of computer network services, said Wednesday it has purchased Inacom Education Services of San Diego, a unit of technology management services provider Inacom Corp. Financial details were not disclosed. Inacom Education has assumed the Ascolta Training name.

Compaq Computer Corp. said it is acquiring operations from computer distributor Inacom Corp. that will boost its ability to custom-build personal computers, part of its strategy for competing with Dell Computer Corp., the world's No. 1 PC direct seller. Compaq, the world's largest personal computer maker, will pay $370 million in cash for the Inacom assets, which will help it configure computers for its customers and manage the entire ordering process.

ValCom Inc., an Omaha company that began selling computers to farmers and agricultural businesses, has merged with a Michigan company to form one of the nation's largest computer retailers, officials said Tuesday. Shareholders approved the merger of ValCom and Inacomp Computer Centers of Troy, Mich., in separate meetings Monday. The new company, InaCom Corp., will have annual revenues approaching $1 billion.

Among new stock ratings issued Wednesday on Wall Street: Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ticker: ANF; close and change: $27.38, up $3.13) was raised to "recommended list" from "market outperform" by Goldman Sachs, with a target price of $48; Cadence Design Systems Inc. (CDN; $19.13, up $1.38) was raised to "strong buy" from "neutral" by Morgan Stanley Dean Witter; Ericsson (ERICY; $58.38, down $1.44) was named "Focus 1 selection" by Merrill Lynch; Gables Residential Trust (GBP; $21.44, down $1.

Apple Computer Inc. said it's trimming down to two wholesalers in the U.S. as the company continues to refine a reorganization of its computer distribution process announced in late September. Santa Ana-based Ingram Micro Inc. and Microage Inc. of Tempe, Ariz., will be the remaining distributors of Macintosh computers by Dec. 1 in the U.S. TechData Corp., InaCom Corp. and Merisel Inc. will no longer be wholesalers for Apple in the U.S.

Another positive sign from the economic recovery room: Southern California enjoyed a surge in the number of major expansions by local companies or arrivals by out-of-town businesses last year. Led by technology and entertainment firms, 167 major expansions or relocations representing 9,500 new jobs were announced in 1996 for the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura, up from 101 expansions and about 5,700 jobs in 1995, according to the Economic Development Corp.

Robin Kennedy is a personal shopper for corporate America. Her Newport Beach company, Centric Resources Inc., has teamed up with giant computer retailer MicroAge Inc. to help companies decide what equipment they need and then order it. Centric opened in March and already has $10 million in contracts to provide computers to corporations including Unocal Corp., Hughes Aircraft Co., Northrop Corp. and Rockwell International's Rocketdyne division.

Sears Selling Business Center Division: Sears, Roebuck & Co. announced an agreement to sell its Sears Business Center division to InaCom Corp., a marketer of computers and communications systems based in Omaha, Neb. The parties did not disclose the purchase price of the Sears unit, which sells and services office computing equipment. The parties expect to close the deal within 30 days.

ValCom Inc., an Omaha company that began selling computers to farmers and agricultural businesses, has merged with a Michigan company to form one of the nation's largest computer retailers, officials said Tuesday. Shareholders approved the merger of ValCom and Inacomp Computer Centers of Troy, Mich., in separate meetings Monday. The new company, InaCom Corp., will have annual revenues approaching $1 billion.

Betsy Hitchcock finds she's often too busy to shop--until she wants something in a hurry. A few weeks ago, the 48-year-old Corona nurse and grandmother of four needed a dress for a weekend social event. She ordered it by mail order Monday, and received it by Federal Express a few days later. "Most of us are last-minute people, at least nurses are last-minute people," she said. "We wait until it's absolutely necessary, and then it's 'Oh my God, I need it.'

For years, Ingram Micro Inc. has made its fortune not by producing things but by acting as a giant middleman between the manufacturers and sellers of personal computers. To most, the Santa Ana company's operations are invisible, obscure and downright boring. But they are far from small. With $16.6 billion in sales last year and a market capitalization of nearly $6.