By Martin Moylan, Minnesota Public Radio News

ST. PAUL — It has been a very bad year for Best Buy and Supervalu, two of Minnesota’s biggest public companies. Both stumbled badly in 2012, and questions persist about what will be left of each company a year from now.

The problems that laid low both Supervalu and Best Buy are similar and straightforward. Each has struggled to respond to growing competition from rivals with lower prices. But the similarities end there. Supervalu has maintained its historically low profile, while Best Buy this year married merchandise with melodrama.

“It’s one of the most fascinating stories in retail right now,” said Carol Spieckerman, a retail consultant from Arkansas. “It really is almost soap opera worthy. Certainly entertaining to watch. And I think it has a lot of people on pins and needles.”

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