PARIS |
(Reuters) - Computer giant Apple Inc will open its first French store beneath the Louvre museum on Saturday just two weeks after Microsoft opened a theme cafe to promote its Windows 7 software.
Although Microsoft had a head start promoting its new Windows operating system in France, Apple has placed its first store in a prized position in the bowels of the Louvre museum's "Carrousel" shopping center.
Both companies have large operations in France, according to Paul Jackson, an analyst with Forrester Research, but he said Apple in particular was looking to burnish its premium image with its new Paris site.
"It's more to do with the feeling of association with premium shopping than necessarily the market itself," said Jackson. He said France as a technology market tended to lag behind Britain and Germany, which already have Apple stores.
Apple's French expansion will take place against an uncertain economic background, with consumer spending in France still volatile and supported by government measures such as the car scrappage scheme.
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