A look inside the new Microsoft store opening in Oxford Circus (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)
A look inside the new Microsoft store opening in Oxford Circus (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)

Microsoft is opening a gigantic new flagship store this week in the center of London’s Oxford Circus.

As you would expect from one of the world’s biggest technology companies, it’s going to be much more than a place to buy Surface computers or Xbox consoles.

There’s also an ‘Answer Desk’ to help customers with any problems they’re experiencing with Microsoft products or services and a Community Theatre that will hold year-round workshops and programmes on technology, coding and STEM learning.

In total, the store covers 21,932 square feet over three floors.

And, crucially, it’s just a few doors up from Apple’s own Regent Street store.

The new store is just up the road from Apple's shop on Regent St (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)
The new store is just up the road from Apple’s shop on Regent St (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)

‘We waited a good long time to find the very best location we could possibly find to delight our customers,’ Cindy Rose, the CEO of Microsoft UK, told Metro.co.uk during an early look around the store.

‘I think it was worth the wait and whoever our neighbours are, we would have been right here,’ she said, elaborating that the massive tech company wanted to be right in the thick of London’s retail atmosphere.

‘Eighty-six million people pass through Oxford Circus every year and frankly, that’s why we’re here. That’s what makes this the most exciting, vibrant, diverse place on the planet to have a flagship store.

‘We’ve got 150 incredibly passionate store associates who are trained up and ready and can’t wait for those doors to open.’

The new flagship store is similar to ones in New York and Sydney (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)
The new flagship store is similar to ones in New York and Sydney (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)
All of Microsoft's in-house products are available in the store (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)
All of Microsoft’s in-house products are available in the store (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)

In order to mark the opening of the space, Microsoft has sought out a few strategic partnerships to dazzle the passing punters. On the ground floor is a £750,000 McLaren Senna race car that’s been converted into a glorified Xbox controller for bouts of racing on Forza Motorsport. Meanwhile, on the first floor are a range of exclusive Surface laptop cover designs that have been specifically created in collaboration with Liberty, London’s famous 144-year old department store.

The store includes a McLaren Senna that's been adapted for the Xbox (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)
The store includes a McLaren Senna that’s been adapted for the Xbox (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)
This is about the closest we will ever get to a McLaren Senna (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)
This is about the closest we will ever get to a McLaren Senna (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)

These are being displayed in the store, but they’ll actually be auctioned off to raise money for a charity called SpecialEffect, which works with disabled people to drive learning and skill development through video games.

Given that Xbox is such a huge part of Microsoft, an entire portion of the store is given over to the console, accessories and games. Inside the ‘Xbox Lounge’ Microsoft has set up facilities for gamers to come in and use consoles for both playing and streaming.

The Predator Thronos lets you recline and game on three monitors (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)
The Predator Thronos lets you recline and game on three monitors (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)

There’s a fully working Predator Thronos gaming chair (a reclining throne hooked up to a gaming PC and three suspended monitors) and the award-winning Xbox Adaptive Controller that makes gaming possible for people with physical disabilities who have trouble using the standard controller.

And when pushed on which part of the flagship store she is most proud of, Rose zeroes in on the Adaptive Controller and Microsoft’s inclusivity for people struggling with disabilities.

The Microsoft Adaptive Controller enables people with disabilities who struggle with a standard controller to play games (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)
The Microsoft Adaptive Controller enables people with disabilities who struggle with a standard controller to play games (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)

‘This has been a labour of love for me for the last three years,’ she said. ‘But this morning we had SpecialEffect in our Xbox Lounge and I met a young man named Vivek who’s got muscular distrophy and is wheelchair bound and he was using our Xbox Adaptive Controller to play games.

‘He was controlling the Xbox with his chin and I was chatting with his mum and she said the game controller has given him a renewed sense of purpose and he’s so much happier and able to interact with other people and now he’s blogging to help other young people with disabilities find a way to connect with each other.

‘I think to work for a company that can do that with technology is very special and makes me very proud.’

You can buy and customise accessories for Microsoft Surface products (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)
You can buy and customise accessories for Microsoft Surface products (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)
The Microsoft Store will open its doors on July 11 (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)
The Microsoft Store will open its doors on July 11 (Jeff Parsons/Metro.co.uk)

The store itself opens its doors on July 11 and will no doubt be looking to snaffle a few would-be gadget customers away from the lure of Apple a few yards down the road.

“The flagship Microsoft store will be a community hub where anyone can come to learn new skills, meet like-minded people and experience the best of Microsoft,’ said John Carter, the store’s senior manager.

‘From a gamer wanting to improve their skills and meet interesting people, a small business looking to get off the ground, through to a student wanting to learn more about digital skills, the flagship Microsoft store on Oxford Circus is a place for everyone.’