Remodeling on Horizon for Elkridge Best Buy

On the heels of Best Buy's announcement that it plans to shutter 50 stores nationwide, personnel at the  said their store will be staying open for business and getting a makeover.

Best Buy will remodel some stores by the end of 2012 in "key markets" as part of a new strategy to reduce space while increasing "points of connectivity," according to a report released Thursday. The company is calling these new retail outlets "Connected Stores."

What that means is more tablets and mobile devices, as well as employees trained to show customers how to hook up their electronics at home, according to Forbes.

Best Buy told Patch it had not finalized which locations would be closing but was being "deliberate and thoughtful" in its plans. On Thursday it said it notified six stores, including locations in Minnesota and Texas, of closings.

The closings came on the heels of a fourth-quarter earnings announcement that showed a $1.7 billion loss in revenue.

In addition to closing 50 stores and remodeling others, Best Buy plans to cut 400 corporate and support jobs, according to the Baltimore Business Journal. 

"We intend to invest some of these cost savings into offering new and improved customer experiences and competitive prices—which will help drive revenue," said Brian J. Dunn, Best Buy's CEO, in a press release. "And, over time, we expect some of the savings will fall to the bottom line."

Best Buy reported it will also add 100 Best Buy mobile stores in the United States and 50 mobile stores in China. In the past year,  opened in Arundel Mills.

, a Patch editor in Minnesota, contributed to this article.