Although Best Buy began to establish Canadian locations under its own name following the purchase, it continued to operate the Future Shop stores as a separate chain.

[3] Even though many of the new Best Buy locations were in close proximity to existing Future Shop stores, the two chains were differentiated primarily by their in-store experiences.

Future Shop was founded in 1982 by Iranian entrepreneur Hassan Khosrowshahi, who left Iran to settle in Vancouver, British Columbia to start a retail business.

[5] Khosrowshahi graduated from the University of Tehran with a degree in law and economics and was a part of the family who owned the Minoo Industrial Group, a large Iran manufacturer of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food products.

His associate, Ardeshir Ziabakhsh (Ardy Zia), took the role of president and CEO of the newly formed company and Khosrowshahi served as chairman and founder.

[5] By 1990, Future Shop became the largest retailer of computers and consumer electronics in Canada and was operating 38 stores across the country and some areas of the United States.

[10] The dual-banner strategy sought to improve the company's Canadian market share by providing new options to consumers; the chains were differentiated primarily by their in-store experiences and promotional strategies, as Future Shop continued to use commission-based salespersons and featured home appliance selections, while Best Buy used non-commissioned salespersons and featured more interactive displays.

Some of the new Best Buy locations would cannibalize sales at Future Shop stores located in close proximity to them, but typically the new Best Buy would generate considerable new revenue that would more than make up for the drop in the sales of the existing Future Shop, the net result being that the two stores increased their parent's overall market share in that area while keeping rivals out.

[10][11] In an effort to widen the chain's customer base, Future Shop began to experiment with an updated store concept at new locations in Vancouver and South Edmonton Common in 2008.

Work (computing), Play (video games, musical instruments), Living (home appliances and exercise equipment), and On the Go (mobile phones and audio products).

[14] In 2014 and early 2015, other Future Shop locations were closed, including those in Boucherville, Greenfield Park,[16] Montreal,[17] Ottawa,[18] Regina,[19] Kingston,[20] New Minas,[21] and New Glasgow.

In turn, Best Buy Canada announced that it would invest at least $200 million over the next two years to increase staffing and add home appliance departments to all stores.