Microsoft is set to open its first retail store in Canada on the 16th November at The Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto. Microsoft currently has 23 stores in the US, and plans to have a total of 44 stores by June 2013 as they expand internationally in the future.
The store will sell hardware including Windows Phones, Xbox consoles, and PCs that feature stock copies of Windows, and of course software which includes Microsoft Office. The Microsoft Store will include a large panoramic wall that wraps round the whole store and will let visitors watch and play video games before they purchase them.
Microsoft officially announced its retail-store plans back in February 2009, which at the time, David Porter was appointed Corporate Vice President of Retail Stores. Microsoft"s strategy has been to open its stores as close as possible to Apple stores.
Microsoft"s Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Turner, told partners at the Worldwide Partner Conference in July that the "Microsoft Store brand will become more pervasive and go out into the world".
Source: MicrosoftStore.com