Microsoft starts Nokia re-branding, with India store

US-based software giant Microsoft has got down to re-branding Nokia stores worldwide, with India being the first country to get off the block.

The entire exercise will involve transformation of more than 8,000 Nokia stores.Apart from selling Lumia smartphones, these outlets will sell Xbox one and Windows tablets.

The Redmond-headquartered company has completed the over USD 7.2 billion acquisition of the devices and services business of Nokia in April last year.

The formal switchover started today, with the first Microsoft priority reseller store coming up at Gurgaon (India), Microsoft said in a statement.

In India, Microsoft will re-brand 8,872 stores and 119 care centres, of which 441 will get a complete facelift while the remaining will be refurbished with new signage by the end of June 2015, it added.

Globally, 15,684 retail outlets and 324 care centres will get a makeover. Unveiling the first store, Microsoft Corporate VP (Mobile Device Sales) Chris Weber said: "India is a very important and exciting market for Microsoft from a number of different perspectives. Nokia brand has historically been very strong here in India.The very first Microsoft branded phone we launched, Lumia 535, was introduced in India first."

"Of nearly 16,000 stores we are re-branding across the globe, close to 9,000 stores will be in India alone, and all of this will happen between today and June-end," Weber said.

Microsoft is unveiling 2 category of stores -- Microsoft Priority Resellers and Microsoft Mobile Sellers.

Priority resellers will sell all Microsoft products, including Xbox gaming consoles, PCs, mobile phones and accessories.