Best Buy in Apple Valley to close on March 2, Burnsville store to relocate at a later date

Best Buy announced that its Apple Valley store is closing its doors at the beginning of March after business leaders decided to not renew the building’s lease.

Best Buy also told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that it plans to relocate its Burnsville store but cannot share details at this time.

The Apple Valley location has about 20 full-time employees in addition to some who work part-time, according to a Best Buy spokesperson. The company said it hopes to keep as many workers as it can and is working to help find them positions at nearby Best Buy stores.

Best Buy CEO Corie Barry mentioned the strategy during the company’s most recent earnings call in November.

“We also continue to close existing traditional stores as a result of our rigorous review of stores as their leases come up for renewal. This year we have closed 24 stores. Over the past 5 years we have closed approximately 100 Best Buy stores, which is a 10% decline in store count during that timeframe. We expect to close roughly 15-20 stores per year in the near term.”

Best Buy CEO Corie Barry

The move reflects what the company says is a shift away from what it calls a “one size fits all” approach for different customers in various communities.

Stores outside of the traditional format include Best Buy Outlet stores in Blaine and Eden Prairie.

Best Buys in Richfield and Minnetonka were recently converted into “Experience Stores,” which are shown to be more interactive, according to the company.