Microsoft has announced that the company will shutter all but four of its retail locations, the remaining stores being transformed into experience centers that will not sell any products.
Per The Verge:
Those locations are New York City (Fifth Ave), London (Oxford Circus), Sydney (Westfield Sydney), and the Redmond campus location. The London store only just opened about a year ago. All other Microsoft Store locations across the United States and globally will be closing, and the company will concentrate on digital retail moving forward. Microsoft says Microsoft.com and the Xbox and Windows storefronts reach “up to 1.2 billion monthly customers in 190 markets.” The company tells The Verge that no layoffs will result from today’s decision. “Our commitment to growing and developing careers from this diverse talent pool is stronger than ever,” Microsoft Store VP David Porter said in a LinkedIn post on the move.
A source close to the story indicated that the chain was expected to close down, but the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this process.
It’s unknown as to exactly when the locations will shut down.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer and The Verge