Microsoft has permanently closed 83 retail stores, as part of a new policy in which it will focus on its online stores, where customers can obtain technical support, after-sales services, and so on.
According to the company, the retail teams will move to work on the website, rather than stores, revealing that all Microsoft employees will have the opportunity to stay in the company.
In this context, David Porter, Vice President of Microsoft Corporation, stated that their online sales have witnessed remarkable growth, as their digital product portfolio has evolved over the past few years, and talented teams have proven successful in serving customers outside existing stores, and from therefore they look forward to continuing to serve their customers online to fulfill their aspirations.
Microsoft announced that the decision excludes stores in four locations that will be transferred to "experience centers" and to transfer retail operations to the Internet.
The decision means that Microsoft's estimated 100 stores, which were closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, will not be reopened at a time when the technology giant is entering a "new retail approach."
«Microsoft will continue to invest in its digital stores in Microsoft.com (site) and its stores, in Xbox and Windows, to reach more than 1.2 billion people every month in 190 markets.
The four websites that will be transferred, "Microsoft Experience Centers", are in London, New York, Sydney, and in Redmond, the company’s base in Washington.
In recent years, Microsoft has become more reliant on its enterprise services such as cloud computing, with retail stores focusing on tablets, laptops, and Xbox game consoles, but the actual stores failed to achieve the momentum of rival Apple.
Source (Al-Khaleej Newspaper-UAE, Edited)
