Microsoft temporarily closed its physical stores back in March in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, just like many other companies. Now, in a major business strategy shift, the company has announced that it is closing its physical retail stores, almost all of them across the globe, and is going to rely on its online sales and services channel.

As for the members in its retail team, Microsoft says they will “continue to serve customers working from Microsoft corporate facilities or remotely and we will continue to develop our diverse team in support of the overall company mission and objectives.” However, Microsoft will keep its London, New York City, Sydney, and Redmond campus locations open.

The company says it will ‘reimagine’ the space in the aforementioned stores, but how exactly it will come to fruition is yet to be revealed. With Microsoft Stores gone, the company will continue to develop its digital customer assistance solutions such as 1-on-1 video sales assistance, video tutorials, and more.

Source: Microsoft (LinkedIn)