Microsoft announced the closure of its stores around the world except for those in four sites that will be transferred to "experience centers" and transfer of retail operations to the Internet.
The decision means that Microsoft, estimated at 100 stores closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will not be reopened at a time when the technology giant is entering a "new retail approach," a statement said.
The statement added that "Microsoft will continue to invest in its digital stores in (Microsoft.com) and its stores, in Xbox and Windows, to reach more than 1.2 billion people every month in 190 markets."
The four sites that will be transferred, "Microsoft Experience Centers" (Microsoft Experience Centers) are located in London, New York, Sydney and in Redmond, the company is based in Washington.
The retail teams will "serve customers from Microsoft´s facilities and remotely, in providing sales, training and support," the company announced.
Microsoft will allocate 450 million dollars to cover the costs of closing the sites.
In recent years, Microsoft has become more reliant on its enterprise services such as cloud computing, with retail stores focusing on tablet devices, laptops, and Xbox game consoles. But the actual stores failed to achieve the momentum of rival Apple.
