Microsoft shuts down all of its retail stores

Microsoft is throwing in the towel and closing all of its retail stores. Once seen as a "copy & paste" of the Apple Store, Microsoft is now taking a new approach to retail by not actually operating any retail stores at all.

Interestingly, Microsoft will keep four stores open but those will serve as "experience centers" where you can't actually buy products. The four locations are London, New York City, Sydney, and Microsoft's Redmond, Washington, campus.

Microsoft naturally hailed the "strategic change" as a win, saying that online sales have grown and the product portfolio "has evolved to largely digital offerings," which, 2020 being what it is, is no doubt true. But Microsoft's stores, which began opening in 2009, were never able to escape the comparison to rival Apple's retail stores...

Microsoft currently has 116 stores, 107 of which are located in the US.

Via: ARS Technica