Another mall staple is leaving us. This time, it’s one that might seem a little unexpected. Microsoft Store Corporate Vice President David Porter announced on LinkedIn that almost all Microsoft Stores will close worldwide. Only four will remain open. The company did not say when the other locations will be shutting down or if they will reopen again before closing for good, since all were shut down by the pandemic.
At the moment, every Microsoft Store is closed. The retail locations were temporarily shuttered when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, in the name of keeping people safe. At the time, the official website directed people instead to the online store and virtual workshops the company would hold.
Once this massive shutdown does take effect, however, only the stores in London, New York City, Sydney, and Redmond will remain open. Wondering “Why Redmond?” Well, the Microsoft headquarters is in Redmond, Washington, so it makes sense for that Microsoft Store to remain open. The ones that don’t shutter will be “reimagined.”
In the announcement, Porter noted that the focus is going to be on digital storefronts once Microsoft Stores are closed. He pointed to services already available through them and their existing hardware, like the virtual workshops that have been running since before the pandemic began, and noted that there will be new services like “1:1 video sales support.”
