Microsoft is closing all of its speciality stores in the US
Microsoft is refocusing its retail presence, taking the decision to close all of its remaining "speciality stores".
The last 17 in-mall kiosks have been closed with immediate effect, and Microsoft will now put its efforts into its growing chain of bricks-and-mortar retail stores around the world.
See also:
- Microsoft's Bing celebrates a decade of mediocrity
- Microsoft releases first preview of PowerShell 7 and sets out feature roadmap
- Microsoft implores Windows users to install patch for wormable BlueKeep Remote Code Execution vulnerability
Over the years there have been more than 30 of these speciality stores located in shopping malls around the US, focusing on specific products such as Surface devices. Microsoft is not ditching retail stores, however, and the company continues to open larger, more general stores around the world.
In a statement given to CNET about the closures, Microsoft said:
After careful discussion and evaluation, we've made the decision to close our specialty store locations. We are focused on delivering great experiences throughout the customer journey. We will continue to connect with and empower our customers to achieve more and discover all that's possible with Microsoft through Microsoft Store across the globe online and in our physical stores in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, and coming soon to the UK.
The company added: "We look forward to continuing to showcase a robust lineup of products and services at our full line and flagship stores, providing the space and support for us to deliver experiences that our customers are excited about".
Image credit: Paskaran.T / Shutterstock