Microsoft Is Closing Almost All Of Its Retail Stores Permanently

After closing its retail stores in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Microsoft has announced that it will permanently shutter the majority of its retail spaces, with only a handful staying open across the globe.

Microsoft's retail stores have been home to its hardware, including Xbox consoles, Surface laptops and tablets, and numerous peripherals. As the company was forced to shift to an entirely remote and online shopping experience and its products have shifted largely to digital goods, it's decided that the cost of retail stores isn't worthwhile any longer.

"Our sales have grown online as our product portfolio has evolved to largely digital offerings, and our talented team has proven success serving customers beyond any physical location," said Microsoft Corporate Vice President David Porterin in a statement. "We are grateful to our Microsoft Store customers and we look forward to continuing to serve them online and with our retail sales team at Microsoft corporate locations."

Only four physical locations will remain, which Microsoft have dubbed its Microsoft Experience Centers. These are located in Ney York City, London, Sydney, and at the company's headquarters in Redmond. Microsoft's previous retail locations served 190 locations around the world, with 1.2 billion people visiting them every month.

This isn't to suggest that Microsoft is getting out of hardware sales. The company launched four new Surface products late last year, which included the Surface Pro 7, the new ARM-based Surface Pro X, and the latest Surface Book 3. The Xbox Series X is also expected to launch later this year, ushering in a new generation for the company to support.