First permanent international Microsoft Store launches
updated 06:58 pm EST, Sun November 18, 2012
Store in Toronto, ON. opened by Wayne Gretzky
Microsoft has opened a new store in Toronto, ON. The location at Yorkdale Shopping Center is now the first outside the United States to have a permanent location, which also happens to be the 31st non-temporary retail location launched by the company, aside from the 34 temporary stores opened in the US and Canada for the holiday season.
Shoppers attending the store's opening were greeted by sporting legend Wayne Gretzky, who was also coerced into playing on the in-store Kinect systems. Others, according to Neowin, received free tickets for a concert by Train, scheduled for later in the day.
The company has plans to run 44 Microsoft Stores by mid-2013, and will be using the locations to coax customers into getting Windows 8-based machines and software upgrades. Early last month, musical artist Machine Gun Kelly destroyed computers on display, shortly after he started performing as part of the store's promotional activities, the store itself being the concert venue.
