Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Boots Up Retail In Motown

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has been stepping up its recent push to develop some new retail storefronts as part of an expansion of its retail footprint across the U.S. Apple Stores have become such that everyone seems to know where their nearest one is located, even if they’re not fans of Apple.

But a Microsoft or Windows Store? Those seem to be a little trickier. Did you know that Microsoft has 65 such retail locations across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico?

Thanks to a couple of impending grand openings, that number is growing. In the days and weeks prior to the launch of the Windows 8 operating system, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) not only opened a few permanent retail stores to be a direct seller fo the new OS and affiliated hardware, it also opened several temporary storefronts in order to sell for the holiday shopping season. The permanent sites are still open, and there have been some recent opening to add to the roster, and Michigan will soon be the latest state to have a Window into Redmond’s product offerings.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) announced this week that it will be opening two new retail stores in the city of Detroit, marking the first two such stores to be inside the state. One will be a smaller kiosk-style location in Detroit suburb Novi June 5, while the second, larger, full-line location will open in Troy June 28. These two locations are right in line behind recent openings in Roseville, Calif., Seattle and Arlington, Texas, just outside Dallas. The Roseville location will open May 24, the Arlington location will be operational June 5, and the Seattle site will unlock its doors June 21. These openings follow the opening of five other locations in April.

The company gained about $4 billion in revenue in 2012 over 2011, but it lost  about $6 billion off its earnings line for the yea, and while Windows 8 is reportedly getting enterprise traction, it is not doing well with consumers by many measures, and Windows Phone has not grabbed any signifciant maket share in the smartphone battle.

What do you make of these new store locations by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)? Do they signify a bigger belief in the success of Windows 8, or do you see these as just some forward-thinking about what is to come for the company and its serious offerings? Does this news surprise you – nine store openings in the span of a couple of months? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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