- Microsoft said in a blog post on Friday that it would permanently close its retail stores around the world and moves sales almost entirely online.
- Some physical locations at Microsoft campuses will remain open and reimagined as "Microsoft Experience Centers," but all stores will be closed for good, the company said.
- Microsoft said its retail teams will continue to support sales remotely and from corporate locations, but did not say if there would be layoffs.
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Microsoft announced in a blog post on Friday that it would permanently close its retail stores around the world and shift its focus to online sales.
The company said it would still keep some physical experience centers to serve customers at its Sydney, New York City, London, and its Redmond campuses. But the company said all stores would be closed for good.
Microsoft also said its retail teams "will continue to serve customers from Microsoft corporate facilities and remotely providing sales, training, and support."
A spokesperson told Business Insider there were no planned layoffs as a result of the closures. "All employees will have the opportunity to stay with Microsoft," they said.
Microsoft closed stores temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March and had not yet reopened any. Apple, which began re-opening some of its stores about a month ago, this week announced it would re-close a handful of locations in areas that are seeing a spike in coronavirus cases.
Microsoft launched its first store in 2009 in an effort to mimic Apple's success with its physical retail locations.
This is also Microsoft's second big closure of the week, after the company shuttered its Twitch competitor, Mixer, and announced it would be moving to a partnership with Facebook.