Microsoft marks March 2013 for London retail store opening
Microsoft is planning to open up its first U.K. retail store in no other than the capital itself, according to The Verge.
The Redmond-based software giant paved the way to open up its first Microsoft Store in the U.K. following its registration as a limited company in March.
A location has yet to be finalised, but it's likely to fall in central London.
Microsoft will also open up an online retail store later this summer.
ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley detailed Microsoft's plans to expand its retail outlets in the United States in the next two to three years. There was no mention of international availability, however, but it makes sense for Microsoft to expand to the retail powerhouse of Europe before heading to the mainland continent.
Will it come too late for Microsoft's upcoming launches, notably Windows 8, set for later this year --- and its Surface tablets, aiming to launch in time for the Christmas holiday?
It's better late than never --- that goes without saying --- but March is typically a relatively dry spell in the technology retail market. Microsoft will crucially miss the Christmas sales patch --- and the Olympics --- but it already has a wide retail supply in mainstream stores anyway.
My bets are on Covent Garden and Regent Street. Why? Because that’s where Apple's retail stores are, and Microsoft wants to compete with their traffic of customers.
A Microsoft spokesperson said it "has no new store locations to announce at this time."
Image source: CNET.
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