One of three Best Buy stores to close in Wichita

Forty-plus employees at the Best Buy near Towne West Square found out Tuesday the store would close its doors on Nov. 2.

“We have seen the decision of customers to shop at our other Wichita stores,” said senior public relations specialist Matthew Smith, adding the other two locations have more products and vendors.

Leases at the other two locations will be renewed, Smith said, but the lease at 6700 W. Kellogg Drive will not. Best Buy has occupied the 45,777-square foot space since the strip mall building went up in 1993.

Smith said the company will try to relocate employees to the locations on Maize or Rock or offer a severance package. Smith would not discuss the details of the severance package.

He said the location has roughly 40 full-time employees and some part-timers as well.

Smith said the announcement isn’t part of a mass closure of Best Buy stores but consistent with regular monitoring of stores. Brick and mortar stores have struggled in the advent of online retailers like Amazon.

However, Best Buy’s stock hit an all-time high of $82.60 per share in August 2018 and has been trending mostly upward since 2014.

This story was originally published September 4, 2019 at 1:01 PM.