Microsoft NYC Flagship Opens Oct. 26

Microsoft Insider: 2 Days On Redmond Campus

Microsoft is finally opening the doors of two major flagship stores in New York and Sydney.

Both will be the tech giant's largest stores to date. Manhattan's flagship will span five floors and 22,269 square feet, Microsoft reports. The smaller Sydney location will take up two floors and 6,000 square feet.

The first grand opening is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26 in Manhattan. Microsoft's first New York flagship, located at 677 Fifth Ave. (between 53^rd and 54^th St.) will open for business at noon EDT.

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Not long after, its first international flagship location will open at Sydney's Pitt Street Mall. For readers who happen to be in the area, you can shop Microsoft in person at noon AET on Thursday, Nov. 12.

The tech giant opened its first brick-and-mortar store in October 2009 in Scottsdale, Ariz., and has since expanded to build 104 retail locations in the US and Canada. On top of that, it has online stores in 189 countries and store-in-store locations throughout China.

Microsoft already has a presence in New York, including a store on Long Island and a kiosk in Manhattan's Columbus Circle, but rumors of a full store didn't begin to spread until August 2014. Microsoft officially confirmed its lease on the pricey location at 677 Fifth in Sept. 2014.

The New York Daily News, which first reported on Microsoft's flagship store last summer, noted how ground floor retail space on the city's famous street exceeds $3,500 per square foot. Luxury fashion brand Fendi was last to occupy Microsoft's location, which is a five minute stroll from Apple's Fifth Ave. store.

Given their immense size, both stores will serve as more than one-stop shops for picking up new Surfaces and Xbox consoles. Customers will also be able to try new technologies from Microsoft and its partners, troubleshoot problems at the Answer Desk, or learn how to use products at the Community Theater.

Microsoft is marking both store openings with celebrations of the communities in each city. The company plans to donate more than $5 million in software and technology grants to local organizations, and to recognize the work of said organizations with grand opening festivities.