Not so long ago, Best Buy was forced to concede that its plans for UK expansion had been slower than expected, with the touted Gateshead store opening falling through and a large senior management shake-up also adding to fears for its UK future.
It seems that any such fears have been swept aside by the company now, though, as two new stores launched towards the back end of April. Hayes and Bristol were the recipients of Best Buy's growth plans, as stores opened on 22nd and 26th April respectively.
Both the Hayes and Bristol stores house 40,000ft of space for their electricals and technology products and news of their arrival could point to Best Buy UK's plans being back on track after an undoubtedly tough period.
The store openings were provided with a bit of glamour as pop songstress Alesha Dixon was on hand to perform free outside concerts outside the outlets. The Bristol store opening went further, hosting Royal Wedding celebrations over the weekend, courtesy of a double-decker bus with 3D home theatre and gaming experience on board.
The grand openings were also accompanied with a raft of discounts and special offers, including half-price televisions and cut-price netbooks, while the first 100 people in the queue had a chance to win a £100 gift card.
Best Buy will be hoping that the fanfare surrounding the openings translates into big-money transactions and healthy early profits, particularly given that the UK operation posted a loss of £29 million last November. Further store openings are expected in Nottingham, Rotherham and Enfield later in the year.
