Microsoft goes public with plans for 32 holiday pop-up stores

Microsoft plans to open 32 holiday pop-up brick-and-mortar stores some time this fall.

Written by Mary Jo Foley, Senior Contributing Editor on Sept. 10, 2012

Microsoft officials have gone public with the full list of its planned 32 holiday pop-up brick-and-mortar stores.

We knew about a dozen or so of these from earlier leaks. But there are going to be more pop-ups than we expected in both the U.S. and Canada.

Other than saying these stores will open "this fall," Microsoft isn't providing exact dates as to when they will go live. I asked if any of them would be open by October 26, as this is the launch date for Windows 8 and Microsoft's ARM-based Surface RT tablets, but was told by a spokesperson Microsoft wouldn't comment. "Additional details" will be provided in the coming weeks, a spokesperson said.

Microsoft also is not commenting on plans for holiday stores in other countries that are not mentioned on the list it shared today, September 10.

Microsoft Stores sell Windows PCs, Windows Phones, Microsoft and third-party software, games, peripherals and more. Microsoft also is going to sell its recently announced Surface PC/tablets through its Microsoft Stores in the U.S. and through select online Microsoft stores, as well.

In the summer of 2011, Microsoft officials said that Microsoft planned to open 75 new Microsoft Stores in the subsequent two to three years. There are curently about two dozen Microsoft Stores. Apple currently has more than 300 retail stores worldwide.

Microsoft will have 44 permanent retail stores in place by the end of its fiscal 2013, which means by the end of June 2013, company officials said during Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference in June of this year.

Here's the list of planned locations for the U.S. and Canada pop-up stores: