PC Retail

For many, the announcement that locations of the first Best Buy stores in the UK – while not unexpected – will read like the first reports of troop deployments on the battlefields of a war they knew was coming.

According to reports, the first four of the 20 planned UK stores will arrive in Bath Road Retail Park in Slough, Two Rivers Retail Park in Staines, Thurrock Retail Park in Essex and Enfield Retail Park in north London next year.

Speculation is also mounting regarding the proposed flagship UK store somewhere in central London, possibly in Regent Street, which would act more of a figurehead to showcase the potential of the firm and to drive the brand here where it has been completely unknown in the past.

When asked to confirm, a spokesman for Best Buy told us: "We are exploring multiple options and we are not going to speculate on locations or other details at this point."

The story so far…

Best Buy was founded in 1966 as a small retail operation based in the US. In 2001 its international expansion programme began with the acquisition of Canada-based Future Shop, cutting its teeth by developing its first multinational supply chain.

This was soon followed by a move into China in 2003, initially with a global sourcing office in Shanghai, then with a proper retail presence in 2006 with the acquisition of a majority stake in Five Star. In 2007 the first Best Buy branded store in Shanghai opened. The company now operates 1,300 stores across the United States and China.

However, the company isn't shy about proclaiming its mantra of 'if you're not growing, you're dying.' As well as its European expansion plans (supported by an alliance with The Carphone Warehouse), plans are in place to open further stores in China and spread into Mexico and Turkey for the first time.

If there's one thing you'd have to say about Best Buy's business model – apart from it being fiercely intent on growth – it's that it has a very customer focussed approach.

While it is often said that multiples and large scale operations don't do things such as service and staff product knowledge particularly well (due to, in part, the sheer scale and product range of the stores) it is clearly something the firm prides itself on a great deal.

This, of course, pits them against the independent retail and reseller sector which, no stranger to competition from much larger businesses, has existed in many cases by an ability to provide that knowledge and service to a local community that cannot find that service elsewhere.

This is perhaps why many independent retailers see the presence of a Best Buy in any given area representing a more potent threat than that of stores like Tesco or PC World.