Microsoft Store Eyes New York's Fifth Avenue Near Apple's Iconic Glass Cube

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) has continued to expand its retail presence in malls throughout the United States in recent years. Now the Redmond, Washington, tech giant is reportedly preparing to make its retail debut on the streets of New York City.

The New York Daily News reported on Wednesday that Microsoft is in talks with the landlord of 677 Fifth Avenue, to secure a retail space for a new Microsoft Store. Should Microsoft secure that retail location, it would place a Microsoft Store just a few short block from the landmark Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Store Fifth Avenue cube, located at the southeast corner of Central Park.

While Microsoft maintains more than 50 permanent retail locations throughout the U.S., this would be its first full Microsoft Store in New York. The company has previously dabbled with the idea with a pop-up store in Times Square to celebrate the launch of its Surface tablet. Microsoft also maintains a small kiosk located at the Time Warner Center.

The building of a Microsoft Store so close to the Apple Store cube is not much of a surprise from Microsoft, which has a habit of opening retail locations in close proximity to existing Apple Stores. As Microsoft moves forward with its new operating strategy, it’s not clear how Microsoft plans to position this new retail shop, or how retail stores will play into its long term plans. But Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is likely keeping all options open.

“Nothing is off the table in how we think about shifting our culture to deliver on this core strategy,” Nadella said in July.