Best Buy's global push

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.

Best Buy headquarters

Minneapolis

Target date:

Opened January 2007,

Shanghai

October,

Mexico City

Target date:

February-March,

Istanbul, Turkey

First half of 2009