Minneapolis - Best Buy has identified the 50 flagship stores it previously announced would close.

Two of the locations, in Kansas City, Mo., and Scottsdale, Ariz., have already been shuttered, and six stores within the Connected Store-format test markets of Minneapolis-St. Paul and San Antonio will close later this year.

Most of the remaining 42 stores are expected to close by May 12, and all of the affected markets will continue to be served by other big-box and freestanding Best Buy Mobile stores.

The closures are part of Best Buy's strategic initiative to shave $800 million in costs over the next four years, shed square footage, and shift its big-box footprints to smaller Connected and Mobile Store formats.

 Employees at most of the affected locations were notified on Saturday.

"This was not an easy decision to make," the company said in a statement. "We chose these stores carefully, and are working to ensure the impact to our employees will be as minimal as possible, while serving all customers in a convenient and satisfying way."

Workers who are unable or unwilling to find jobs at other Best Buy locations will be offered a severance package, the retailer said.

Best Buy reiterated that the closings are intended "to increase points of presence, while decreasing overall square footage, for increased flexibility.

"We are committed to making it easier for customers to shop with us, whenever and wherever they want," the company said.

The list of targeted stores follows:

Store Name Address City State Casa Grande 1004 N Promenade Pwy Casa Grande AZ Lake Pleasant 10134 W Happy Valley Rd Peoria AZ East Palo Alto 1751 E Bayshore Rd East Palo Alto CA Westwood 10861 Weyburn Ave Los Angeles CA Manteca 934 Perimeter Dr Manteca CA Moreno Valley East 27220 Eucalyptus Moreno Valley CA Ontario 4120 E 4th St Ontario CA Pittsburg 4405 Century Blvd Pittsburg CA Jamboree 2857 Park Ave Tustin CA Arapahoe & Parker 15800 E Briarwood Cir Aurora CO The Forum 9370 Dynasty Dr Fort Myers FL Oldsmar 11655 W Hillsborough Ave Tampa FL Fayetteville 128 Pavilion Pkwy Fayetteville GA Loganville 4014 Atlanta Hwy Loganville GA Addison 1038 N Rohlwing Rd Addison IL 87th & Dan Ryan 8900 S Lafayette Ave Chicago IL Deerfield 200 S Waukegan Rd Deerfield IL Matteson 4707 Lincoln Mall Dr Matteson IL Mundelein 1100 N Rt 83 Mundelein IL West Dundee 979 W Main St West Dundee IL Speedway 10500 Parallel Pkwy Kansas City KS Back Bay 360 Newbury St Boston MA Wareham 2421 Cranberry Hwy Wareham MA Inner Harbor 600 E Pratt St Baltimore MD Hunt Valley 118 Shawan Rd Hunt Valley MD Biddeford 405 Mariner Way Biddeford ME *Brooklyn Center 5925 Earle Brown Dr Brooklyn Center MN *Edina 3200 Southdale Cir Edina MN *Hutchinson 1350 Hwy 15 S Hutchinson MN *Lakeville 18350 Orchard Trl Lakeville MN Rochester South 4540 Maine Ave Se Rochester MN *Rogers 20870 Rogers Dr Rogers MN Ellisville 15678 Manchester Rd Ellisville MO Monroe 3151 W Highway 74 Monroe NC Rocky Mount 1100 N Wesleyan Blvd Rocky Mount NC Millard 12210 K Plz Omaha NE East River Plaza 517 E 117th St New York NY Steelyard Commons 3506 Steelyard Dr Cleveland OH Salem Mall 5031 Salem Ave Dayton OH Caguas Las Americas Expry PR52 Zafiro Caguas PR Middletown 890 W Main Rd Middletown RI Hickory Hollow 5255 Hickory Hollow Pkwy Antioch TN Techridge 12901 North I-35 Austin TX *Woodlake Parkway 6218 Woodglen San Antonio TX Landmark Mall 5901 Stevenson Ave Alexandria VA Cosner's Corner 9745 Jefferson Davis Hwy Fredericksburg VA East Richmond 4410 S Laburnum Ave Richmond VA Mill Plain 16611 Se Mill Plain Blvd Vancouver WA * indicates stores notified March 29, 2012 of closure plans Note: Two stores in Kansas City, MO (Metro North) and Scottsdale, AZ (Shea) permanently closed in February 2012.