Following the updates on the end of Mixer, following its takeoff from game streaming, Microsoft has made another enormous declaration that nobody expected, without an unmistakable clarification for the reasons.
The organization declared through a blog post on its official site that it will shut down all the physical stores of the Microsoft Store around the world. The main stores left open will be in London, New York, Sydney, and Redmond, however, they will be changed over into Microsoft Experience Centers. That is, despite the fact that stores will have Microsoft items that individuals can attempt, they won’t function as retail locations.
For its part, the company assures that no employee will be fired. All existing employees will continue to serve customers from Microsoft’s corporate premises, where they will continue to provide remote sales, training in small retail stores, and customer support.
Microsoft also points to the success of its digital store, Microsoft.com, which is visited by about 1.2 billion people each month in 190 markets worldwide. Despite the company’s efforts since 2009, when the first store opened, the response was not as expected, as it was never able to reach the respective Apple Stores, in any of its 116 stores.
Of course, some had predicted this move, as, despite the recession of the COVID-19 pandemic in most countries worldwide, Microsoft did not open any of its physical stores again in any of the 4 countries that exist, while now the temporary closure has officially taken place. permanent. The company promises to continue to serve all retail customers through the digital Microsoft Store, from where they will have access to Windows services and devices, as well as Xbox consoles and games.
