Microsoft cements its retail ambitions as it confirms plans for a Manhattan flagship store-- one at 677 Fifth Avenue, a glitzy shopping corridor just a few blocks south of the Apple's famous Manhattan Store.
"As our first flagship store, it will serve as the centerpiece of our Microsoft Stores experience," the company tells the Wall Street Journal. "This is a goal we've had since day one-— we were only waiting for the right location. And now we have it."
The location is a well known high-end retail destination, one commanding eye-watering rents averaging at around $2749 per square foot, according to the WSJ.
Microsoft describes the store as the "the centerpiece of our Microsoft Stores Experience," where it will sell products such as the Surface Pro 3, Windows Phones, Xbox One and any number of accessories. It will also provide customer support services via "Answer Desk" experts.
The company has been been opening stores since 2009, and currently has 104 physical retail locations across the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as stores-within-a-store within 600 Best Buy locations. It plans to open 10 more stores in the US and Canada by end 2014-- but gives no word on whether it will take on European retail as yet.
