Microsoft announced today that it will open its first flagship retail store on Manhattan’s high-end shopping strip of Fifth Avenue, just five blocks south of Apple’s cube-like store.
The company has signed a lease at 677 Fifth Ave., where Fendi currently has its own retail location. The new store will not only spotlight Microsoft products, but also feature an “experiential space” in the space.
“As our first flagship store, it will serve as the centerpiece of our Microsoft Stores experience,” wrote David Porter. “This is a goal we’ve had since day one – we were only waiting for the right location. And now we have it.”
This will be Microsoft’s first retail store in Manhattan. It already has a kiosk-like “speciality store” at Columbus Circle and Staten Island, but no full-size stores. The Wall Street Journal notes that average rent around Fifth Ave goes for $2,749 per square foot.
Microsoft, which opened its first retail space in 2009 and now operates 104 stores in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, did not reveal a grand opening date for the new flagship location.
Apple, meanwhile, has more than 425 stores worldwide and plans on opening 20 new retail locations this year — with two-thirds of those outside the U.S.