Microsoft opened its first flagship location at 677 Fifth Ave, at East 53rd Street, this morning.
The new store features a five-story glass storefront and a 40-foot-wide by 20-foot-high external culture wall, displaying changing digital imagery. Inside it offers experiential retail, letting shoppers hold, test and try products.
There's a space at the front of the store where customers can play Xbox games on an 84-inch monitor as outdoor pedestrians look on. The first floor has LED digital panels and a two-story digital wall in the back.
The second floor has large areas for playing Xbox, an answer desk, and a community theater where 70 hours of workshops a week will be held. On the third floor is an area called the "Dell Experience at the Microsoft Store," which features an extensive selection of Dell products. The fourth floor has space for employees and other operations, and the fifth floor has meeting and event space.
Asking rents in the area were $3,350 per square foot during the third quarter, because you get plenty of tourists and real New Yorkers. [WSJ]
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