Category: Retail & eCommerce

Microsoft Opening Five More Retail Stores By Summer

Finding certain Windows devices at traditional retail outlets can be a bit of pain sometimes. Stores like Best Buy or Staples usually only carry one device without a lot of options. Microsoft rectified this problem by opening retail locations across the nation, and is now working on expanding that presence to even more cities.

Microsoft announced today that it intends to open five more retail stores by summer. The following cities will play host to these new retail locations:

These five stores join the six stores that were announced late last year. On top of that, there are already over 50 existing retail stores and a few smaller specialty stores that have sprung up over the past few years.

Microsoft seems to be expanding its retail presence in line with its expansion as a hardware manufacturer. The Surface Pro tablet/ultrabook hybrid will be launching on February 9. Sure, it will be available at other retail locations like Best Buy and Staples, but the best selection of accessories and other items will only be available at Microsoft retail stores.

Unfortunately, Microsoft still has not expanded its retail presence past North American borders. It did finally open its first few Canadian stores in 2012, but it hasn’t expanded around the world like Apple has. We might finally see some international expansion in 2013, however, as Microsoft moves to produce more of its own hardware, like the oft rumored Microsoft-built Windows Phone.