Best Buy laying off 2,400 workers nationwide

Minneapolis-based Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) has made public plans to lay off 2,400 employees nationwide through August.

Spokesman Bruce Hight said 600 of the positions are Geek Squad employees, while the remaining 1,800 are various other store positions. He said Best Buy employs 167,000 companywide, 20,000 of which are Geek Squad.

Hight said Best Buy hasn't broken down the layoffs by state yet, and he declined to say if any layoffs would be occurring at the Springfield Best Buy or at other stores in southwest Missouri.

Ashley Kelley, a manager with the Springfield Best Buy store, could not be reached for comment by deadline.

In late March, Best Buy announced it would close 50 U.S. stores, though Springfield, Branson and Joplin locations were unaffected. Hight, who said the closures are unrelated to the recent layoff announcement, said the majority of the announced stores have been closed.

As of 11:04 a.m., the company's shares were trading at $21.19, compared to a 52-week range of $17.53 to $31.75.