The Wall Street Journalreports that Microsoft plans to open a number of stores to help it sell products.
It remains to be seen whether the effort can add some pizzazz to Microsoft's unfashionable image, which Apple has sought to reinforce with ads that mock its competitor. Mr. Porter, in a statement, said there are "tremendous opportunities" for Microsoft to create a "world-class shopping experience" for the company's customers.
"The purpose of opening these stores is to create deeper engagement with consumers and continue to learn firsthand about what they want and how they buy," Microsoft said in a statement.
The move is a sign of the deeper role consumer-technology companies are playing in the retail business, despite the many risks of straying from their traditional businesses of making hardware and software. Apple, of Cupertino, Calif., encountered widespread skepticism when it first began opening its own retail stores in 2001.
The stores are being immediately compared to Microsoft competitor Apple's stores. As the WSJ notes Apple's stores, which debuted in 2001, became a huge success and have helped drive sales of Macs, iPods and iPhones. The scenes of lines outside Apple stores are widely reported which each new Apple product launch. There's a risk to retail because it is expensive to lease store space and hire people to run the stores but Microsoft must have decided it is worth the risk because it could boost sales of Zunes, Xbox 360s, software and whatever other gadgets Microsoft has planned. Microsoft's stores could also sell the Microsoft clothing line called Softwear. No details yet on an opening date or locations for Microsoft's stores.
