I don't think it's a terrible decision--Nokia's on-line sales department in the US was problematic to say the least. Perhaps the problems and the ensuing equity lost due to the bad PR were not worth fixing.

Certainly direct sales are not an option anymore, but it is not like they are taking away the carrier-independent purchasing option from potential customers. I suspect that third-party on-line vendors (e.g. Amazon) have always been a strong (if not stronger) distribution channel for Nokia in any case.