*****UPDATE: This store is scheduled to open October 26th, 2013*****
Canada’s second Microsoft Store will open at West Edmonton Mall. It will be located on the mall’s first level near the Ice Palace, as per the mall map below. The store will be about 7,500 square feet.
Canada’s first Microsoft Store opened in November 2012 at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The Yorkdale Microsoft Store is 6,844 square feet according to the mall’s lease plans.
For those unfamiliar, Microsoft Stores sell the brand’s computers, computer software and consumer electronics. It has been compared to Apple Stores, which have been wildly successful at selling and servicing its various Apple products. There are currently 35 Microsoft Stores in the United States and one in Canada. Its first American stores opened in October 2009.
Microsoft stores employ ‘Technical Advisors’ to assist customers with questions and various issues. These might be compared to the ‘Geniuses’ at Apple Stores. Microsoft Stores also include ‘Specialists’ (or trainers) who show customers how to get the most out of their software. Our source for this information is partly from this article.
West Edmonton Mall has been securing many exciting new retailers. Two of its most recently announced additions have included jeweller Tiffany & Co. and the first non-Quebec location for the 118,000 square foot fashion retailer La Maison Simons.
[Microsoft Store website]
[West Edmonton Mall website]
