Having spent years trying to convert foot traffic into sales, Discovery Communications will close its retail outlets and focus entirely on e-commerce, reports Internet Retailer.

The decision to close the Discovery Store locations, often found in malls, came after the company determined the brick and mortar operations are expensive and inefficient. Discovery products will remain available online and in stores that carry its merchandise.

Analysts say the decision simply reflects Discovery's dissatisfaction with the return seen from running physical stores and does not have larger implications for store-owning media companies as a whole.
Discoverystores.com, the e-tail hub of Discovery Communications, is seeing 144 percent higher sales volume than last year. The site tallies about 12 million unique visitors annually.