Nokia retail stores to be rebranded as ‘Microsoft Authorized Resellers’ globally

Ever since the $7 billion acquisition of Nokia’s devices division last April, Microsoft has slowly been chipping away at the Nokia name as it transitions the mobile business over to its own branding. This shift continues with the news that Microsoft is rebranding the remaining Nokia retail stores and Care centers around the world as “Microsoft Authorized Resellers.”

Other “general trade” or “multi-branded stores” will be renamed as “Microsoft Mobile Resellers.”

While it’s hardly the snazziest name in the land, it serves to differentiate them from the official Microsoft Stores that are scattered across North America, though the computing giant also recently launched an Australian flagship outlet in Sydney.

Today’s news follows the announcement back in April that India was to be the launch market for the first Microsoft Priority Reseller store, with almost 9,000 Nokia stores and 120 Care centers facing a full rebrand. Microsoft has now confirmed that Brazil has followed India with its first Microsoft Authorized Reseller store, and Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia will be included in the rebrand too.

“These stores will be part of the Microsoft ecosystem and provide an aesthetic that aligns with our core brand values and encourages engagement and interaction with our products,” Microsoft explained.

While Nokia stores of course mainly focused on Nokia-branded products, the rebirth lets Microsoft push its myriad of offerings out into the wild, including Xbox, Surface, Lumia phones, software such as Office 365, and other accessories.

While Nokia had fallen out of favor in many western markets, the brand has remained strong in many emerging markets. Microsoft has continued to target these countries with the launch of a number of budget Lumia-branded phones, including the $70 Lumia 430.

The retail store rebrand gives Microsoft a much bigger presence in these countries, many of which have never really been presented with Microsoft as a hardware manufacturer before. So it will be interesting to see how this affects its brand across Asia and beyond.