The coronavirus pandemic has been fatal at the Microsoft Store. The software giant’s network of physical stores will definitely shut down.
At a time when Microsoft is multiplying hardware products under the Surface banner, which includes tablets, laptops and desktops, and even headphones and earphones, the company has decided to permanently close its Microsoft Store network (their activity had been suspended in March due to the health crisis). The group has 116 physical stores worldwide, mainly concentrated in the United States (107). The first store in Microsoft’s colors had opened in 1999, to close in 2001.
No reopening after coronavirus
Since then, these stores have grown almost everywhere in the United States, with a few forays abroad, such as London and Australia. In terms of physical presence, the company maintains the Microsoft Experience Centers in London, New York, Sydney and Redmond, the group’s headquarters. These spaces will however be redesigned to better accommodate visitors during pandemic times.
Closing the Microsoft Store will not be easy: the company will spend $ 450 million to end this experience which did not give all the expected results. At the time, it was to be inspired by the Apple Store model, but the Windows editor may not have been able to go beyond simple copy / paste.
David Porter, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft, explains that “ sales continued to grow online as our product catalog evolved into digital offerings ” It is true that the hardware built by the company (and we add the Xbox) contributes a very small part of its sales. Microsoft will continue to invest in its virtual stores and in online support, in which employees who worked in the shop can be retrained.
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