• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
RetailBest Buy

Best Buy Cuts Jobs at Headquarters After Soft Holiday Sales

Phil Wahba
By
Phil Wahba
Phil Wahba
Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
Phil Wahba
By
Phil Wahba
Phil Wahba
Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 23, 2016, 4:18 PM ET
Holiday Shoppers Seek Out Deals On Black Friday
NAPLES, FL - NOVEMBER 23: Shoppers move through a Best Buy store on November 23, 2012 in Naples, Florida. Although controversial, many big retail stores have again decided to get a head start this year for Black Friday and open on Thanksgiving Day or at midnight instead of the traditional dawn Friday opening time. Black Friday is the official start of the holiday shopping season and the busiest shopping day of the year form many retailers. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Photograph by Spencer Platt — Getty Images

Best Buy (BBY) has laid off a few dozen employees at its Minneapolis-area home office after a weak holiday season.

The electronics retailer, which in January reported comparable U.S. sales at its stores fell 1.4% in November and December, did not confirm the number of layoffs, but the Minneapolis Star-Tribune which first reported the cuts, said they numbered in the dozens.

“We’ve had some areas where we have done a small amount of restructuring,” Jeff Shelman, a company spokesman, told the Star Tribune. Shelman said the company was also hiring in some areas. Best Buy did not immediately respond to a request from Fortune for comment.

Best Buy, which reports full quarterly results on the Thursday, disappointed investors with its holiday season, which raised the specter that the electronics retailer’s comeback is sputtering. The retailer had promised to get aggressive for the holidays with tactics that included waiving minimum online order thresholds to get free shipping.

Best Buy had been enjoying something of a renaissance after a few rough years, when a significant portion of consumer electronics shopping shifted online, specifically Amazon.com (AMZN). But the retailer has countered that with, among other tactics, shop-within-shops for top brands like Apple and Samsung.

The Star-Tribune estimated that some 5,000 people work at Best Buy headquarters in Richfield, Minnesota, near the Twin Cities’ airport.
About the Author
Phil Wahba
By Phil WahbaSenior Writer
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Phil Wahba is a senior writer at Fortune primarily focused on leadership coverage, with a prior focus on retail.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Retail

ICE
PoliticsImmigration
‘We believe in Allah, but we can’t do anything’: Somali shops reel in Minneapolis because ICE is bad for business
By Sarah Raza and The Associated PressJanuary 18, 2026
15 hours ago
RetailRetail
Chubbies cofounder Kyle Hency is back—his new startup Good Day just raised $7 million in seed funding
By Allie GarfinkleJanuary 15, 2026
3 days ago
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
EconomyConsumer Spending
Economy is marginally improving but only because the rich are splurging on luxury items and holidays, the Fed says
By Eleanor PringleJanuary 15, 2026
4 days ago
C-SuiteLuxury
Can Saks’ new CEO repair the damage done to the luxury retailer by years of being treated as a ‘financial plaything’?
By Phil WahbaJanuary 15, 2026
4 days ago
saks
RetailRetail
Saks files for bankruptcy as its CEO sees ‘defining moment’ after multibillion-dollar Neiman Marcus takeover
By Anne D'Innocenzio and The Associated PressJanuary 14, 2026
5 days ago
RetailRetail
Walmart teams with Alphabet for AI-assisted shopping on Gemini
By Jaewon Kang and BloombergJanuary 11, 2026
8 days ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
3 things Trump did in 24 hours to show that he's in control of American business
By Eva RoytburgJanuary 8, 2026
11 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
This CEO laid off nearly 80% of his staff because they refused to adopt AI fast enough. 2 years later, he says he'd do it again
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 11, 2026
8 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Making billionaires illegal by taxing their wealth wouldn’t even fund the government for a year, budget expert says
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 17, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Ford CEO warns there's a dearth of blue-collar workers able to construct AI data centers and operate factories: 'Nothing to backfill the ambition'
By Sasha RogelbergJanuary 18, 2026
19 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
National debt is already killing the American Dream, says top economist—and it might push the U.S. into an outright depression
By Eleanor PringleJanuary 18, 2026
24 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Europe can wield this $8 trillion 'sell America' weapon as Trump reignites a trade war over his Greenland conquest ambitions
By Jason MaJanuary 18, 2026
14 hours ago