High street beckons for Microsoft

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 13 Feb 2009 at 08:46

Microsoft has hired a former Wal-Mart executive as it prepares to open its own high-street shops.

This move into retail has already proved successful for Apple, and Microsoft is hoping the appointment of David Porter, most recently the head of global product distribution at DreamWorks, will bring it similar success.

Porter's first act as Microsoft's corporate vice president of retail stores will be to work out a location for the shops, and a timeframe for their grand opening.

Microsoft says it is focusing on "a small number of stores" at this point.

"The purpose of opening these stores is to create deeper engagement with consumers and continue to learn first-hand about what they want and how they buy," says Microsoft.

The strategy is risky, though. Apple has succeeded in its transition thanks to the eye-catching architecture of its shops, and the sleek aesthetic of its product line. Quite whether software offers the same allure remains to be seen.

Porter has already has a 20,000-square-foot warehouse in Seattle set up to test out various layouts. Early thinking is that Microsoft will focus on touchscreen PCs to demonstrate its software, and the Xbox games console.

There's no word yet on when we can expect to see the ribbon cut on the first Microsoft shop.