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Microsoft Store (retail)

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Not to be confused with Windows Store, Windows Phone Store, or Windows Marketplace.
Microsoft Store
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryComputer hardware
Computer software
Consumer electronics
FoundedOctober 22, 2009; 15 years ago (2009-10-22)
Number of locations
World: 116 stores
US: 106
CAN: 8
Australia: 1
Puerto Rico: 1[1]
ProductsPersonal Computers, Smartphones, Xbox consoles, Computer Games, Video Games, and Computer Repair
Computer Mice, Software & 3rd-party software and accessories, Microsoft Surface devices, various other Windows tablets
ParentMicrosoft
Websitewww.microsoftstore.com

Microsoft Store is a chain of retail stores and an online shopping site, owned and operated by Microsoft and dealing in computers, computer software and consumer electronics. The stores aim to "improve the PC and Microsoft retail purchase experience for consumers worldwide and help consumers make more informed decisions about their PC and software purchases."[2]

The Microsoft Store offers Signature PCs and tablets like the Microsoft Surface and from third parties such as HP, Acer, Dell, Lenovo, and Sony without demos or trialware (pre-installed free trials of certain third-party software that expire after a limited time). It also offers Windows (most retail versions), Microsoft Office, mobile devices running the Windows Phone OS, Xbox 360 and Xbox One game consoles, games and services including on-site Xbox diagnostics. The Answers Desk helps to answer questions related to Windows, Office, and other Microsoft products. The stores also offer class sessions as well as individual appointments.

The first two Microsoft Stores opened within a week of the Windows 7 launch, in Scottsdale, Arizona and Mission Viejo, California.[3] Additional stores have since opened in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas and Washington. At the 2011 Professional Developers Conference, Microsoft announced that they intend to open 75 new stores in the next three years.[4]

The first store outside the U.S. (and the first of four stores in Canada) opened in Toronto on November 16, 2012[5] while the first store outside the North America (and first store in Asia-Pacific and second flagship store [6] ) opened in Sydney, Australia on November 12, 2015 [7]

History

Microsoft's first experience with a retail store was located in the Metreon in San Francisco. It was owned and operated by Sony Retail Entertainment,[8] and ran from 1999[9] to 2001.[10]

In 2009, Microsoft built a "Retail Experience Center" in their Redmond, WA headquarters[11] and announced plans to build its own retail stores.[12] On October 22, 2009, the same day as the Windows 7 launch, Microsoft opened a retail store in Scottsdale, Arizona. A week later, another opened in Mission Viejo, California. Five additional stores were opened in 2010. A ninth store opened in Atlanta in May 2011, with two more openings planned in Houston and Los Angeles by the end of June.

Shopping experience

The Microsoft Store is similar to the popular Apple Store concept, which has been largely successful.[13] The concept aims to give a greater level of customer satisfaction by not only having sales staff but also employing "Technical Advisers" (similar to Apple's "Geniuses") to assist customers with technical questions and issues. In addition "Specialists" (or trainers) are employed to show customers how to get the most out of their software. Xbox One consoles are also available to entertain patrons.

Store locations

A Microsoft Store bearing the 2009-2012 logo
Microsoft Store in Yorkdale Toronto, the first store outside the U.S.
Number City State/Province Location Opened
1. Scottsdale Arizona Scottsdale Fashion Square October 22, 2009[1]
2. Mission Viejo California The Shops at Mission Viejo October 29, 2009[1]
3. Lone Tree Colorado Park Meadows June 10, 2010[1]
4. San Diego California Fashion Valley Mall June 24, 2010[14]
5. Oak Brook Illinois Oakbrook Center November 4, 2010[15]
6. Bloomington Minnesota Mall of America November 6, 2010[16]
7. Bellevue Washington Bellevue Square November 18, 2010[17]
8. Costa Mesa California South Coast Plaza March 24, 2011[1]
9. Atlanta Georgia Lenox Square May 27, 2011[1]
10. Houston Texas The Galleria June 23, 2011[1]
11. Los Angeles California Westfield Century City June 30, 2011[1]
12. Seattle Washington University Village October 20, 2011[1]
13. Santa Clara California Westfield Valley Fair November 10, 2011[1]
14. McLean Virginia Tysons Corner Center November 17, 2011[1]
15. Palo Alto California Stanford Shopping Center April 19, 2012[18]
16. Austin Texas The Domain April 26, 2012[1]
17. Bridgewater New Jersey Bridgewater Commons May 19, 2012[1]
18. Freehold New Jersey Freehold Raceway Mall June 9, 2012[1]
19. Danbury Connecticut Danbury Fair Mall June 23, 2012[1]
20. Overland Park Kansas Oak Park Mall June 28, 2012[1]
21. Arlington Virginia The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City August 9, 2012[1]
22. Orlando Florida The Florida Mall August 16, 2012[1]
23. Boston Massachusetts The Shops at Prudential Center August 23, 2012[1][19]
24. Huntington Station New York Walt Whitman Shops September 28, 2012[20][21]
25. White Plains New York The Westchester September 28, 2012[1]
26. Newark Delaware Christiana Mall September 29, 2012[1]
27. Salem New Hampshire The Mall at Rockingham Park September 29, 2012[1]
28. Cincinnati Ohio Kenwood Towne Centre October 30, 2012[1]
29. San Juan Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Plaza Las Américas November 1, 2012[1]
30. Corte Madera California The Village at Corte Madera November 3, 2012[1]
31. Toronto Ontario Canada Yorkdale Shopping Centre November 16, 2012[5]
32. San Antonio Texas The Shops at La Cantera March 9, 2013[1]
33. Salt Lake City Utah City Creek Center April 11, 2013[1]
34. Beachwood Ohio Beachwood Place April 13, 2013[1]
35. San Francisco California Westfield San Francisco Centre April 25, 2013[1]
36. Miami Florida Dadeland Mall May 18, 2013[1]
37. St. Louis Missouri Saint Louis Galleria June 7, 2013[1]
38. Natick Massachusetts Natick Mall June 8, 2013[1]
39. Honolulu Hawaii Ala Moana Center June 13, 2013[1]
40. Portland Oregon Pioneer Place June 20, 2013[1]
41. Schaumburg Illinois Woodfield Mall June 22, 2013[1]
42. Troy Michigan Somerset Collection June 28, 2013[1]
43. Indianapolis Indiana The Fashion Mall at Keystone June 29, 2013[1]
44. Burlington Massachusetts Burlington Mall September 19, 2013[1]
45. Orlando Florida The Mall at Millenia October 22, 2013[1]
46. Edmonton Alberta Canada West Edmonton Mall October 26, 2013[1]
47. Burnaby British Columbia Canada Metropolis at Metrotown November 7, 2013 [1]
48. Las Vegas Nevada Fashion Show Mall November 14, 2013[1]
49. Buffalo New York Walden Galleria November 16, 2013[1]
50. Oklahoma City Oklahoma Penn Square Mall November 16, 2013[1]
51. Jacksonville Florida St. Johns Town Center November 22, 2013[1]
52. Mississauga Ontario Canada Square One Shopping Centre February 9, 2014[1]
53. Farmington Connecticut Westfarms March 1, 2014[1]
54. Paramus New Jersey Garden State Plaza May 22, 2014[1]
55. Aventura Florida Aventura Mall May 29, 2014[1]
56. Atlanta Georgia Perimeter Mall May 31, 2014[1]
57. Garden City New York Roosevelt Field June 21, 2014[1]
58. The Woodlands Texas The Woodlands Mall June 26, 2014[1]
59. Friendswood Texas Baybrook Mall November 6, 2014[1]
60. Chandler Arizona Chandler Fashion Center November 14, 2014 [1][22]
61. Metairie Louisiana Lakeside Shopping Center November 14, 2014 [23]
62. Toronto Ontario Canada Toronto Eaton Centre November 20, 2014 [24]
63. Helsinki Finland Finland Aleksanterinkatu November 24, 2014 [25]
64. Sarasota Florida The Mall at University Town Center June 11, 2015 [26]
65. Wayne New Jersey Willowbrook Mall June 23, 2015 [27]
66. Columbus Ohio Easton Town Center August 20, 2015

Flagship Store locations

Number City State/Province Location Opened
1. New York City New York Fifth Avenue October 26, 2015[28]
2. Sydney New South Wales Australia Westfield Sydney (Pitt Street Mall) November 12, 2015[28]

Microsoft Store Online

Microsoft Store Online is the online store of Microsoft and is the successor of Windows Marketplace, which was also owned and operated by the company. It sells Microsoft software and hardware, as well as Microsoft Signature PCs and select third-party software and hobbyist products. (Microsoft Signature PCs, which are made by various manufacturers, including Microsoft with its Surface line, are desktops, laptops, and tablets that run Windows without demos, trialware, or other manufacturer-installed programs; they are equivalent to Google's Nexus and Google Play edition devices.) Besides the online storefront, items from the store can be ordered by phone.

The website is in 228 markets world-wide, including Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States. The stores in Europe are able to accept orders from, and ship to other European countries as well. The Microsoft Store offers immediate software download options of some Microsoft software products in most[which?] regions.

On February 12, 2012 it was reported that Microsoft's India online store was hacked, and username and passwords were stolen, by a Chinese group called "Evil Shadow Team". The team has stolen login ID's and passwords of users who had used the website for shopping. It was revealed that passwords were not encrypted and were stored in plain text.[29]

Other formats

Microsoft Specialty Stores

In May 2013, Microsoft began to launch mall kiosk locations known as Microsoft Specialty Stores, expanding upon the Surface-focused pop-up stores established during the launch of Windows 8. They have a smaller product offering, with a particular focus on Surface and Windows Phone product lines.[30]

Best Buy Windows Stores

On June 13, 2013, Microsoft announced a partnership with the Best Buy chain to replace their existing PC departments with The Windows Store (unrelated to the software distribution platform) at 600 locations in the United States and Canada by September 2013. The store-within-a-store showcases Windows devices and Microsoft hardware and software products (including the Surface, Office, and Xbox lines). Departments for other manufacturers (such as Apple, Samsung and Google) remain separate from the Windows Store sections. Best Buy also pledged to add 1,200 Microsoft-trained sales associates to its stores, and to stock more accessories for Microsoft-related products, such as Windows Phone devices.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb "Microsoft Stores' Locations". Microsoft. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  2. ^ "Microsoft Appoints David Porter as Corporate Vice President of Retail Stores" (Press release). Microsoft. 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  3. ^ Microsoft News (2009-08-07). "Behind these walls in Scottsdale & Mission Viejo, the first Microsoft retail stores". Twitter. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  4. ^ Microsoft will open 75 new stores within 3 years
  5. ^ a b Kopun, Francine (15 November 2012). "Microsoft's first Canadian retail store to open at Yorkdale: Sneak peek". Toronto Star. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  6. ^ "MICROSOFT'S SYDNEY FLAGSHIP STORE: THE MASSIVE NEW FOCUS ON SERVICE" (Press release). Techly. 2015-11-12. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  7. ^ "All eyes on Australia: First Microsoft flagship store in Asia Pacific lands in Sydney" (Press release). Microsoft. 2015-04-21. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  8. ^ "Microsoft Debuts microsoftSF Retail Environment At San Francisco's Metreon Sony Entertainment Center" (Press release). Microsoft. 1999-06-16. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  9. ^ Brown, Janelle (1999-06-29). "The consumer incarnation of Microsoftiness". Salon. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  10. ^ Junnarkar, Sandeep (2001-11-01). "Xbox due, Microsoft exits Sony-owned mall". CNET News. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  11. ^ Miller, Paul (2009-01-13). "Microsoft builds pretend retail store, wants to play house later". Engadget. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  12. ^ Lilly, Paul (2009-02-13). "It's Official: Microsoft Brand Store Fronts Coming Soon". MaximumPC. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  13. ^ Olivarez-Giles, Nathan (2010-11-26). "For some, the Microsoft Store concept is a puzzle". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
  14. ^ Morrow, Chris (2010-06-24). "Apple/Microsoft SHOWDOWN in San Diego". CNN iReport. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  15. ^ Schering, Steve (2010-11-10). "Microsoft opens new store at Oakbrook Center". The Doings Oak Brook. Sun-Times Media. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  16. ^ Biggs, John (2010-10-05). "Microsoft Builds Microsoft Store Across From The Apple Store In Mall Of America". Crunchgear. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  17. ^ Chan, Sharon Pian (2010-11-18). "Microsoft Store in Bellevue opens with glitter, glitz". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  18. ^ Lewis, Peter H. (2012-02-10). "Microsoft Stores Open, Often Next Door to Apple Stores". The New York Times.
  19. ^ Kerstetter, Jim (2012-08-23). "Yes, a Microsoft Store wows a naysayer | Microsoft - CNET News". News.cnet.com. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
  20. ^ http://www.simon.com/Assets/Mall/106/LEASING_PLAN/4841_WALT%20WHITMAN%20SHOPS_CurrentWebLeasePlan-1_1.pdf
  21. ^ "Land Management Site History Report". Tohpropertyinfo.huntingtonny.gov. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
  22. ^ http://news.microsoft.com/download/presskits/retailstores/docs/ChandlerFashionCenterTD.docx
  23. ^ http://content.microsoftstore.com/en-us/detail/lakesideshoppingcenter
  24. ^ http://content.microsoftstore.com/en-ca/detail/torontoeatoncentre
  25. ^ http://aani.nokia.fi/2014/11/26/sama-kauppa-sama-paikka-uusi-nimi-nokia-kauppa-nyt-microsoft-kauppa/
  26. ^ http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/locations/fl/sarasota/the-mall-at-university-town-center-/store-1088
  27. ^ http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/locations/nj/wayne/willowbrook-mall/store-1089
  28. ^ a b "As Microsoft opens New York flagship, focus is on its products". USA Today. 26 October 2015.
  29. ^ "Microsoft's India store hacked, usernames & passwords stolen". The Times Of India. 2012-02-13.
  30. ^ "Microsoft continues its kiosk kick, will open new 'specialty stores'". CNET. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  31. ^ "Microsoft to launch dedicated Windows stores in Best Buys". ZDNet. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
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