A report in the Financial Times has stated that Microsoft is looking to expand its retail outlets into European territory.

Microsoft currently has stores spanning 27 U.S. states, and recently made the move into Canada and Puerto Rico.

Mirroring the Apple Store customer service experience with an ‘Answer Desk’ instead of a ‘Genius Bar’ and the more accurately named ‘Technical Advisors’ instead of the famous ‘Geniuses,’ these stores are also of a similar format and live in similar locations.

Although there are obvious similarities, Microsoft stores also stock third-party hardware such as HTC and Nokia Windows Phone smartphones as well as its own products - but they have been slated in the US for the lack of on-hand demos and abundance of OEM stickers.

With current sales of the Windows 8 falling below expectations, a push towards services could help Microsoft gain some traction with it's new operating system.