Best Buy has begun seeking out foreign markets. Here's a look at events that led to the company's first foreign store and the plans for future store openings:
August 2001: Enters Canada with $377 million purchase of 88 Future Shop stores, the country's top consumer electronics retailer.
Fall 2002: Eight Best Buy branded stores open in the Toronto area.
September 2003: Establishes toehold in China by opening a 25-person global sourcing office in Shanghai.
June 2006: Acquires 75 percent stake in Jiangsu Five Star Appliance Co., China's fourth-largest consumer electronics retailer with 131 stores. The $180 million deal gives Best Buy full ownership by the end of 2010, subject to approval by the Chinese government.
January 2007: Grand opening for its first -- and still its only -- Best Buy branded store in China. The multilevel store is the largest Best Buy in the world.
May 2008: Leaps into Europe by acquiring a 50 percent stake in London-based Carphone Warehouse for $2.1 billion. It is the United Kingdom's largest mobile phone retailer, with 2,400 stores in nine European countries.
Source: Best Buy Co. Inc.
