Microsoft opens first flagship store in Europe
Announcement of location on Oxford Circus comes alongside £1m grant to train young community members in digital skills
Today, Europe's first flagship Microsoft Store opened today on Oxford Circus, alongside the announcement of a £1 million digital learning grant to support young people in the local community.
The store has three floors, with a section specifically dedicated to Xbox hardware as well as a gaming lounge equipped for esports tournaments. It also has a community theater meant to serve as a "digital learning hub" for classes on coding, summer camps, and other digital skills as well as summer camps and special educational events.
As a part of that focus on digital learning, Microsoft has announced a £1 million grant in partnership with UK Youth, The Raspberry Pi Foundation, and The London Community Foundation. The grant will help provide digital learning educational opportunities to young people in the community.
"We've wanted to bring a flagship to London for a very long time," said Cindy Rose, corporate VP of Microsoft in the UK. "Today's opening means that we now have a physical space where we can share the very best of Microsoft with everybody.
"Our ambition is that this is a place where people can do so much more than just shop. It's a place where they can learn new skills, where businesses can grow and where we can build long term links with the communities in our neighbourhood. That's why we're investing £1 million to help train some of the most disadvantaged young people and help support our local community here in London."