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Microsoft to close Brazil stores

The points of sale will be shut down less than a year after launch as part of a "strategic decision."
Written by Angelica Mari, Contributing Writer

Microsoft is closing several of its physical stores in Brazil as part of a "strategic decision."

The move comes less than a year after the shops were launched last April as part of a rebranding exercise following the Nokia purchase in 2014.

The original plan back then - when the company's Brazil office was outperforming the rest of the world - had been to increase the number of physical stores by threefold.

There are 47 Microsoft Store points of sale across 13 Brazilian states selling computers, Xbox consoles and accessories and smartphones. Out of that total, 27 stores will be closed.

"Together with its franchisees in a strategic decision for the channel, Microsoft confirms the closing of certain physical stores under the brand Microsoft Store - Authorized Reseller in Brazil," the company said in a statement.

However, the firm stressed that the online operation would remain unchanged and operating normally throughout the country.

Since last year, Microsoft has been reviewing its operations in Brazil. It closed down its factory in the industrial zone of the state of Amazonas last October, a decision that impacted 1,200 employees.

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