Unless the context otherwise requires, the use of the terms "we," "us" and "our" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K refersrefer to Best Buy Co., Inc. and, as applicable, its consolidated subsidiaries. Any references to our website addresses do not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on the websites.

We were incorporated in the state of Minnesota in 1966. Today, we are a leading provider of technology products, services and solutions. We offer these products and services to customers who visit our stores, engage with Geek Squad agents or use our websites or mobile applications. We have retail operations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

We have two reportable segments: Domestic and International. The Domestic segment is comprised of the operations in all states, districts and territories of the U.S., under various brand names including Best Buy, bestbuy.com, Best Buy Mobile, Best Buy Direct, Best Buy Express, Geek Squad, Magnolia Home Theater and Pacific Kitchen and Home.

Our Canada and Mexico store operations are similar to those in our Domestic segment.

Our Domestic and International segments have offerings in six revenue categories: Consumer Electronics, Computing and Mobile Phones, Entertainment, Appliances, Services and Other. The key components of each revenue category are as follows:

Our Domestic and International segments purchase merchandise from a variety of suppliers. In fiscal 2017,2018, our 20 largest suppliers accounted for approximately 77%70% of the merchandise we purchased, with five suppliers – Apple, Samsung, Hewlett-Packard, Sony Hewlett-Packard, and LG ElectronicsLenovo – representing approximately 53%56% of total merchandise purchased. We generally do not have long-term written contracts with our vendors that would require them to continue supplying us with merchandise or that secure any of the key terms of our arrangements.

We carefully monitor and manage our inventory levels in an effort to match quantities on hand with consumer demand as closely as possible. Key elements to our inventory management process include the following: continuous monitoring of historical and projected consumer demand, continuous monitoring and adjustment of inventory receipt levels, agreements with vendors relating to reimbursement for the cost of markdowns or sales incentives and agreements with vendors relating to return privileges for certain products.

We had approximately 1,200 large-format and 400300 small-format stores at the end of fiscal 20172018 throughout our Domestic and International segments. Our stores are a vital component of our omni-channelmulti-channel strategy and representwe believe they are an important competitive advantage. In the U.S., weWe have the ability to ship from all of our Best Buy stores.stores in the U.S. and all of our large-format stores in Canada. Customers may also elect to pick up orders initiated online in any of our stores. In recent years,Beginning in 2013, we have opened vendor store-within-a-store concepts to allow closer vendor partnership and a betterhigher quality customer experience. In fiscal 20182019 and beyond, we will continue to look for opportunities to optimize our store space, renegotiatingrenegotiate leases and selectively openingopen or closingclose locations to support our operations.

We have secured domestic and international trademark and service mark registrations for many of our brands. We have also secured patents for many of our inventions. We believe our intellectual property has significant value and is an important factor in the marketing of our company, our stores, our products and our websites.

Our business, like that of many retailers, is seasonal. A higherlarge proportion of our revenue and earnings is generated in the fiscal fourth quarter, which includes the majority of the holiday shopping season in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

We fund our business operations through a combination of available cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and cash flows generated from operations. In addition, our revolving credit facilities are available for additional working capital needs, for general corporate purposes and investment and growth opportunities. Our working capital needs typically increase in the months leading up to the holiday shopping season as we purchase inventory in advance of expected sales.

Our competitors are primarily multi-channel retailers, internet-based businesses, technology service providers, traditional store-based retailers, and vendors and mobile network carriers who offer their products and services directly to customers. We believe our ability to deliver a high qualityhigh-quality customer experience offers us a key competitive advantage. Some of our competitors have lowlower cost operating structures and seek to compete for sales primarily on price. In addition, in the U.S., online-only operators are exempt from collectingnot generally required to collect sales taxes in certain states. We believe this advantage will continue to be eroded as sales tax rules are re-evaluated at both the state and federal levels. We carefully monitor pricing offered by other retailers, and maintaining price competitiveness is one of our ongoing priorities. In addition, we have a price-matching policy in the U.S. that allows customers to request that we match a price offered by certain retail store and online operators. In order to allow this, we are focused on maintaining efficient operations and leveraging the economies of scale available to us through our global vendor partnerships. We believe our dedicated and knowledgeable people, integrated online and retail assets, broad product assortment, strong vendor relationships, range of focused service and support offerings, distinct store formats, brand marketing strategies and supply chain are important ways in which we maintain this advantage.

Best Buy is committedWe work hard to positively impactingimpact the environment and our communities. We believe that effectively managingreducing our environmental impacts, settingimpact on the environment via realistic yet assertive sustainability goals and advancing energy-efficient consumer solutions helps create long-term value for all of our stakeholders. 

 

 

SeeRefer to our Best Buy Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Report on our website for further information on environmental performance.

At the end of fiscal 2017,2018, we employed approximately 125,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and our sourcing office in China. We consider our employee relations to be good. We offer our employees a wide array of company-paid benefits that vary within our company due to customary local practices and statutory requirements, which we believe are competitive locally and in the aggregate relative to others in our industry.

Copies of any of the above-referenced documents will also be made available, free of charge, upon written request to Best Buy Co., Inc. Investor Relations Department at 7601 Penn Avenue South, Richfield, MN 55423-3645.

Described below are certain risks that we believe apply to our business and the industry in which we operate. You should carefully consider eachEach of the following risk factors should carefully be considered in conjunction with other information provided in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other public disclosures. The risks described below highlight potential events, trends or other circumstances that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity or access to sources of financing and, consequently, the market value of our common stock and debt instruments. These risks could cause our future results to differ materially from historical results and from guidance we may provide regarding our expectations of future financial performance. The risks described below are not an exhaustive list of all the risks we face. There may be others that we have not identified or that we have deemed to be immaterial. All forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf are qualified by the risks described below.

The retail businesssector is highly competitive. Price is of great importance to most customers, and price transparency and comparability continues to increase, particularly as a result of digital technology. The ability of consumers to compare prices on a real-time basis puts additional pressure on us to maintain competitive prices. We compete with many other local, regional, national and international retailers and technology service providers, as well as certain of our vendors and mobile network carriers that offer products directly to consumers. Some of our competitors have greater financial resources than us, have greater brand recognition and may be able to offer lower prices than us for a sustained period of time. They may also be able to secure better terms from vendors and devote more resources to technology, fulfillment and marketing. Competition may also result from new entrants in the markets we serve, offering products and/or services that compete with us.

The retail industrysector continues to experience a trend towards an increase in sales initiated online and using mobile applications, and some online-only businesses have lower operating costs than us and are not generally required to collect and remit sales taxes in allcertain U.S. states, which can negatively impact the ability of multi-channel retailers to be price competitive on a tax-included basis. Online and multi-channel retailers continue to focus on delivery services, with customers increasingly seeking faster, guaranteed delivery times and low-price or free shipping. Our ability to be competitive on delivery times and delivery costs depends on many factors, and our failure to successfully manage these factors and offer competitive delivery options could negatively impact the demand for our products and our profit margins. Because our business strategy is based on offering superior levels of customer service and a full range of services to complement the products we offer, our cost structure is higher than some of our competitors, and this, in conjunction with price transparency, puts pressure on our margins.

As these and related competitive factors evolve, we may experience material adverse pressure on our revenue and profitability.

In general, consumer electronics product life cycles (which begin with initial market launch and conclude with maturity or obsolescence) have become shorter and less predictable. This is largely due to rapid technological advancement and innovation and generally faster adoption by consumers. Consumer preferences have also become susceptible to rapid change, and this adds to the unpredictability of our business. These factors affect us in a number of ways, for example:

The effects of these factors can also be exacerbated by the competitive environment and the ease with which customers can research and compare product features and price.prices. If we fail to interpret, predict and react to these factors in a timely and effective manner, the consequences can include:

These and other similar factors could have a material adverse impact on our revenuesrevenue and profitability.

We source the products we sell from a wide variety of domestic and international vendors. In fiscal 2017,2018, our 20 largest suppliers accounted for approximately 77%70% of the merchandise we purchased (75%(77% in fiscal 2016)2017), with 5 suppliers – Apple, Samsung, Hewlett-Packard, Sony Hewlett-Packard, and LG ElectronicsLenovo – representing approximately 53%56% of total merchandise purchased (51%(53% in fiscal 2016)2017). We generally do not have long-term written contracts with our vendors that would require them to continue supplying us with merchandise. Our profitability depends on us securing acceptable terms with our vendors for, among other things, the price of merchandise we purchase from them, funding for various forms of promotional programs, payment terms, allocations of merchandise, development of compelling assortments of products, operation of vendor-focused shopping experiences within our stores and terms covering returns and factory warranties. To varying degrees, our vendors may be able to leverage their competitive advantages --— for example, their financial strength, the strength of their brand with customers, their own stores or online channels or their relationships with other retailers --— to our commercial disadvantage. The potential adverse impact of these factors can be amplified by price transparency (which can limit our flexibility to modify selling prices) and a highly competitive retail environment. Generally, our ability to negotiate favorable terms with our vendors is more difficult with vendors where our purchases represent a smaller proportion of their total revenues, consequently impacting our profitability from such vendor relationships.

We are also dependent on a relatively small number of mobile carriers to allow us to offer mobile devices with carrier connections. The competitive strategies utilized by mobile network carriers can have a material impact on our business. For example, if carriers change the structure of customer contracts, customer upgrade terms, customer qualification requirements, monthly fee plans, cancellation fees or service levels, the volume of upgrades and new contracts we sign with customers may be reduced, adversely affecting our revenuesrevenue and profitability. In addition, our carriers also may serve customers through their own stores, websites, mobile applications and call centers or through other competing retail channels. Carriers may decide to cease allowing us to offer their contracts or certain categories of their contracts, focus their marketing efforts on alternative

channels or make unfavorable changes to our commissions or other terms. Each of these factors could have a materiallymaterial adverse impact on our revenue and profitability.

We have internal standards that we require all of our vendors to meet. Our ability to find qualified vendors who can supply products in a timely and efficient manner that meet our standards of quality and safety can be difficult, especially with respect

If the products we sell fail to meet applicable safety standards or our customers' expectations regarding safety and quality, we could be exposed to increased legal risk and our reputation may be damaged. Failure to take appropriate actions in relation to product recalls could lead to breaches in laws and regulations and leave us susceptible to government enforcement actions or private litigation. Recalls of products, particularly when combined with lack of available alternatives or our difficulty in sourcing sufficient volumes of replacement products, could also have a material adverse impact on our revenue and profitability.

We offer a full range of services that complement our product offerings, including consultation, design, delivery, installation, set-up, protection plans, repair, technical support and educational classes. Designing, marketing and executing these services is subject to incremental risks. These risks include, for example:

In addition, as customers increasingly migrate to websites and mobile applications to initiate transactions, it is inherently more difficult to demonstrate and explain the features and benefits of our service offerings, which can lead to a lower revenue mix of these services. If, for these or other reasons, we fail to design and market services effectively to our customers or fail to meet our customers’ expectations in the execution of these services, our reputation, revenue and profitability could be adversely affected.

To varying degrees, our products and services are sensitive to changes in macroeconomic conditions that impact consumer spending. As a result, consumers may be affected in many different ways, including, for example:

ConsumerReal GDP growth, consumer confidence, inflation, employment levels, oil prices, interest rates, tax rates, availability of consumer financing, housing market conditions, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, costs for items such as fuel and

food and other macroeconomic trends can adversely affect consumers' demand for the products and services that we offer. Our future results could be significantly adversely impacted by these factors.

Our supply chain is a critical part of our operations, particularly in light of recent industry trends and initiatives, such as ship-from-store and the emphasis on fast and free delivery when purchasing online. We depend on our vendors' ability to deliver

It is important that we be able to maintain optimal levels of inventory in each store and distribution center and respond rapidly to shifting demands. Any disruption to, or inefficiency in, our supply chain network could damage our revenue and profitability. The risks associated with our dependence on third parties are greater for small parcel home deliveries because of the relatively small number of carriers with the scope and capacity required by our business. The continuing growth of e-commerce increases our exposure to these risks. If we fail to manage these risks effectively, we could experience a material adverse impact on our reputation, revenue and profitability.

Our performance is highly dependent on attracting, retaining and engaging appropriately qualified employees in our stores, service centers, distribution centers, field and corporate offices. Our strategy of offering high quality services and assistance for our customers requires a highly trained and engaged workforce. The turnover rate in the retail industrysector is relatively high, and there is an ongoing need to recruit and train new employees. Factors that affect our ability to maintain sufficient numbers of qualified employees include employee morale, our reputation, unemployment rates, competition from other employers, availability of qualified personnel and our ability to offer appropriate compensation packages. We operate in a competitive labor market and there is a risk that market increases in compensation could have a material adverse effect on our profitability. Failure to recruit or retain qualified employees in the future may impair our efficiency and effectiveness and our ability to pursue growth opportunities. In addition, a significant amount of turnover of our executive team or other employees in key positions with specific knowledge relating to us, our operations and our industry, may negatively impact our operations.

We operate a portfolio of brands with a commitment to customer service and innovation. We believe that recognition and the reputation of our brands are key to our success. Operational factors such as, for example, failure to deliver high quality services, uncompetitive pricing, failure to meet delivery promises or business interruptions could damage our reputation.

External factors, such as negative public remarks or accusations, could also be damaging. The ubiquity of social media means that customer feedback and other information about our company are shared with a broad audience in a manner that is easily accessible and rapidly disseminated. Damage to the perception or reputation of our brands could result in, among other things, declines in customer loyalty, decreases in gift card and service plan sales, lower employee retention and productivity and vendor relationship issues, all of which could materially affect our revenue and profitability.

If we fail to effectively evaluate these factors or negotiate appropriate terms or if unforeseen changes arise, the consequences could include, for example:

These consequences could have a materiallymaterial adverse impact on our profitability, cash flows and liquidity.

For leased property, the financial impact of exiting a location can vary greatly depending on, among other factors, the terms of the lease, the condition of the local real estate market, demand for the specific property, our relationship with the landlord and the availability of potential sub-lease tenants. It is difficult for us to influence some of these factors and the costs of exiting a property can be significant. In addition to rent, we are still responsible for the maintenance, taxes, insurance and common area maintenance charges for vacant properties until the lease commitment expires or is terminated. Similarly, when we enter into a contract with a tenant to sub-lease property, we usually retain our obligations as the master lessor.lessee. This leaves us at risk for any remaining liability in the event of default by the sub-lease tenant.

Some of our operating costs are fixed and/or are subject to multi-year contracts. Some elements of our costs may be higher than our competitors,competitors' because of, for example, our differential service offerings or levels of customer service. As discussed above, our revenues are susceptible to volatility from various sources, which can lead to periods of flat or declining revenues. Accordingly, our ongoing drive to reduce costcosts and increase efficiency represents a strategic imperative. Failure to successfully manage our costs could have a material adverse impact on our profitability and curtail our ability to fund our growth or other critical initiatives.

We need sufficient sources of liquidity to fund our working capital requirements, service our outstanding indebtedness and finance business opportunities. Without sufficient liquidity, we could be forced to curtail our operations or we may not be able

to pursue business opportunities. The principal sources of our liquidity are funds generated from operating activities, available cash and liquid investments, credit facilities, other debt arrangements and trade payables. Our liquidity could be materially adversely impacted if our vendors reduce payment terms and/or impose tighter credit limits. If our sources of liquidity do not satisfy our requirements, we may need to seek additional financing. The future availability of financing will depend on a variety of factors, such as economic and market conditions, the regulatory environment for banks and other financial institutions, the availability of credit, and our credit ratings and our reputation with potential lenders. These factors could materially adversely affecthave a material adverse effect on our costs of borrowing and our ability to pursue business opportunities, and threaten our ability to meet our obligations as they become due.

Our credit ratings and outlooks at March 20, 2017,29, 2018, are summarized below. In fiscal 2017,2018, Fitch Ratings Limited affirmed its long-term credit rating of BBB- and changed its outlook from Stable to Positive. In fiscal 2019, Standard & Poor's Rating Services upgraded its long-term credit rating of BBB- to BBB and changed its outlook from BB+Positive to BBB- with a Stable, outlook;and Moody's Investors Service, Inc. affirmed its long-term credit rating of Baa1 with a Stable outlook; and Fitch Ratings Limited affirmed its long-term credit rating of BBB- with a Stable outlook.

Any future downgrades to our credit ratings and outlook could negatively impact the perception of our credit risk and thus our access to capital markets, borrowing costs, vendor terms and lease terms. Our credit ratings are based upon information furnished by us or obtained by a rating agency from its own sources and are subject to revision, suspension or withdrawal by one or more rating agencies at any time. Rating agencies may change the ratings assigned to us due to developments that are beyond our control, including the introduction of new rating practices and methodologies.

 

Approximately one-third of our revenue and more than one-half of our net earnings have historically been generated in our fourth fiscal quarter, which includes the majority of the holiday shopping season in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. In addition, the holiday shopping season also incorporates many other unpredictable factors, such as the level of competitive promotional activity and customer buying patterns, which makes it difficult to forecast and react to these factors quickly. Unexpected events or developments such as natural or man-made disasters, changes in consumer demand, economic factors, product sourcing issues, failure or interruption of management information systems or disruptions in services or systems provided or managed by third-party vendors could significantly disrupt our operations. As a result of these factors, there is a risk that our fourth quarter and annual results could be adversely affected.

We may decide to enter into new joint ventures, partnerships, alliances or acquisitions with third parties (collectively, "new ventures"). Assessing the viability of new ventures is typically subject to significant uncertainty and the success of such new ventures can be adversely affected by many factors, including, for example:

If new ventures are unsuccessful, our liquidity and profitability could be materially adversely affected, and we may be required to recognize material impairments to goodwill and other assets acquired. New ventures may also divert our financial resources and management's attention from other important areas of our business.

Our business involves the collection, use and storage of customer information, including payment card information, as well as confidential information regarding our standingemployees, vendors and other company information. We also share confidential information with suppliers and other third parties, as well as use third-party technology and systems which transmit customer information for a variety of activities. While we take significant steps to protect this information, third party criminal activity such as cyber-attacks, lapses in our controls or the intentional or negligent actions of employees, business associates or third parties, may undermine our privacy and security measures and unauthorized parties may obtain access to our data systems and misappropriate employee, customer and other confidential data. Furthermore, because the methods used to obtain unauthorized access change frequently and may not be immediately detected, we may be unable to anticipate such attacks or promptly and effectively respond to them. Any compromise of our customer information or other confidential information could have a material adverse effect on our reputation or our relationships with our employees or customers.customers and partners, which may in turn have a negative impact on our revenue and may expose us to material costs, penalties and claims.

The useSensitive customer data may also be present on customer-owned devices entrusted to us for service and repair. Vulnerable code on products sold or serviced, including our exclusive brands, may also result in a compromise of customer privacy or security. Our efforts to protect against such compromises and ensure appropriate handling of personally identifiablecustomer data byon devices we manufacture, sell and service may not be effective, resulting in potential liability and damage to our business, our business associates and third parties is regulated at the state, federal and international levels. We are also contractually obligated to comply with certain industry standards regarding payment card information. customer relationships.

Increasing costs associated with information security, such as increased investment in technology and qualified staff, the costs of compliance and costs resulting from fraud, could cause our business and results of operations to suffer materially. Additionally, the success of our online operations depends upon the secure transmission of customer and other

The risk or actual occurrence of various catastrophic events could materially adversely affecthave a material adverse effect on our financial performance. Such events may be caused by, for example:

Such events can adversely affect our work force and prevent employees and customers from reaching our stores and properties and can disrupt or disable portions of our supply chain and distribution network. They can also affect our information systems, resulting in disruption to various aspects of our operations, including our ability to transact with customers and fulfill orders. As a consequence of these or other catastrophic events, we may endure interruption to our operations or losses of property, equipment or inventory, which would adversely affect our revenue and profitability.

Sales of our exclusive brands products, which include Insignia, Modal, Dynex, Init, Platinum and Rocketfish branded products, represent an important component of our product offerings and our revenue and profitability. Most of these products are manufactured by contract manufacturers based in southeasternsoutheast Asia. This arrangement exposes us to the following additional potential risks, which could materially adversely affecthave a material adverse effect on our operating results:

Maintaining consistent quality, availability and competitive pricing of our exclusive brandsbrand products helps us build and maintain customer loyalty, generate revenue and achieve acceptable margins. Failure to maintain these factors could have a significant adverse impact on the demand for exclusive brand products and the profits we are able to generate from them.

Our statutory, regulatory and legal environments expose us to complex compliance and litigation risks that could materially adversely affecthave a material adverse effect on our operations. Some of the most significant compliance and litigation risks we face are:

Regulatory activity focused on the retail industrysector has grown in recent years, increasing the risk of fines and additional operating costs associated with compliance. Additionally, defending against lawsuits and other proceedings may involve significant expense and divert management's attention and resources from other matters.

As an employer of approximately 125,000 people in a large number of different jurisdictions, we are subject to risks related to employment laws and regulations including, for example:

Changes to laws and regulations such as these could adversely impact our reputation, our ability to continue operations and our profitability.

 

We offer promotional financing and credit cards issued by third-party banks that manage and directly extend credit to our customers. Customers choosing promotional financing can receive extended payment terms and low- or no-interest financing on qualifying purchases. We believe our financing programs generate incremental revenue from customers who prefer the financing terms to other available forms of payment or otherwise need access to financing in order to make purchases. Approximately 23%24% of our fiscal 20172018 revenue was transacted using one of the company's branded cards. In addition, we earn profit-share income from our banking partners based on the performance of the programs. The income we earn in this regard is subject to numerous factors, including the volume and value of transactions, the terms of promotional financing offers, bad debt

 

 

We engage key third-party business partners to support various functions of our business, including but not limited to, information technology, web hosting and cloud-based services, human resource operations, customer loyalty programs, promotional financing and customer loyalty credit cards, gift cards, customer warranty, delivery and installation, technical support, transportation and insurance programs. Any material disruption in our relationship with key third-party business partners or any disruption in the services or systems provided or managed by third parties could impact our revenues and cost structure and hinder our operations, particularly if a disruption occurs during peak revenue periods.

 

We operate retail locations in Canada and Mexico. In addition, we have wholly owned legal entities registered in various other foreign countries, including Bermuda, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, the Republic of Mauritius, Turks and Caicos and the U.K. During fiscal 2017,2018, our International segment's operations generated 8% of our revenue. In general, the risk factors identified above also have relevance to our International operations. In addition, our International operations also expose us to other risks, including those related to, for example:

 

These factors could significantly disrupt our International operations and have a material adverse effect on our revenue and profitability and could lead us to us incurringincur material impairments and other exit costs.

 

serves on the board of directors forof the University of Minnesota Foundation. She previously served on the board of directors of the Delhaize Group, a Belgian-based international food retailer.

Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BBY. In fiscal 2004, our Board initiated the payment of a regular quarterly cash dividend with respect to shares of our common stock. A quarterly cash dividend has been paid in each subsequent quarter. In addition, our Board approved a special dividend that was declared and paid in the first quarter of each of fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2017. On March 1, 2017,2018, we announced a 21%32% increase in our regular quarterly dividend to $0.34$0.45 per share. Future dividend payments will depend on our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors considered relevant by our Board. The table below sets forth the high and low sales prices of our common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange – Composite Index and the dividends declared and paid during the periods indicated.

We are a leading provider of technology products, services and solutions. We offer these products and services to customers who visit our stores, engage with Geek Squad agents or use our websites or mobile applications. We have operations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. We operate two reportable segments: Domestic and International. The Domestic segment is comprised of the operations in all operations withinstates, districts and territories of the U.S. and its districts and territories. The International segment is comprised of all operations outside the U.S.in Canada and its territories.Mexico.

Throughout this MD&A, we refer to comparable sales. Our comparable sales calculation compares revenue from stores, websites and call centers operating for at least 14 full months, as well as revenue related to certain other comparable sales

channels for a particular period to the corresponding period in the prior year. Relocated stores, as well as remodeled, expanded and downsized stores closed more than 14 days, are excluded from the comparable sales calculation until at least 14 full months after reopening. Acquisitions are included in the comparable sales calculation beginning with the first full quarter following the first anniversary of the date of the acquisition. The calculation of comparable sales excludes the impact of revenue from discontinued operations, and the effect of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates (applicable to our International segment only). and the impact of the extra week in fiscal 2018. The method of calculating comparable sales varies across the retail industry. As a result, our method of calculating comparable sales may not be the same as other retailers' methods.

The Canadian brand consolidation, which included the permanent closure of 66 Future Shop stores, the conversion of 65 Future Shop stores to Best Buy stores and the elimination of the Future Shop website, had a material impact on a year-over-year basis on the remaining Canadian retail stores and the website. As such, from the first quarter of fiscal 2016 through the third quarter of fiscal 2017, all Canadian store and website revenue was removed from the comparable sales base and the International segment no longer had a comparable metric. Therefore, Consolidated comparable sales equaled the Domestic segment comparable sales. Beginning in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017, we resumed reporting International comparable sales as revenue in the International segment was once again deemed to be comparable and, as such, Consolidated comparable sales are once again equal to the aggregation of Domestic and International comparable sales. However, we have not provided International comparable sales for fiscal 2017 as the calculation would only include comparable revenue from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017 and may be misleading in future periods when used for comparison purposes. The method of calculating comparable sales varies across the retail industry. As a result, our method of calculating comparable sales may not be the same as other retailers' methods.

This MD&A includes financial information prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP"), as well as certain adjusted or non-GAAP financial measures such as constant currency, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP effective tax rate, non-GAAP net earnings from continuing operations, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share ("EPS") from continuing operations and non-GAAP debt to earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization and rent ("EBITDAR") ratio. We believe that non-GAAP financial measures, when reviewed in conjunction with GAAP financial measures, can provide more information to assist investors in evaluating current period performance and in assessing future performance. For these reasons, our internal management reporting also includes non-GAAP financial measures. Generally, our non-GAAP financial measures include adjustments for items such as restructuring charges, goodwill impairments, non-restructuring asset impairments and gains or losses on investments. In addition, certain other items may be excluded from non-GAAP financial measures when we believe this provides greater clarity to management and our investors. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, and not superior to or as a substitute for, GAAP financial measures. We strongly encourage investors and shareholders to review our financial statements and publicly-filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure. Non-GAAP financial measures as presented herein may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

In our discussions of the operating results of our consolidatedConsolidated business and our International segment, we sometimes refer to the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates or the impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, which are references to the differences between the foreign currency exchange rates we use to convert the International segment’s operating results from local currencies into U.S. dollars for reporting purposes. We also use the term "constant currency",currency," which represents results adjusted to exclude foreign currency impacts. We calculate those impacts as the difference between the current period results translated using the current period currency exchange rates and using the comparable prior period currency exchange rates. We believe the disclosure of revenue changes in constant currency providescan provide useful supplementary information to investors in light of significant fluctuations in currency rates and our inability to report comparable store sales for the International segment infrom the first quarter of fiscal 2016 through the third quarter of fiscal 2017 as a result of the Canadian brand consolidation.

Our customersCustomers are at the core of Best Buy 2020. Technology continues to evolve, creating more excitement and opening up an increasing range of possibilities for our customers. It is also creating more complexity and we believe many of our customers need our help. OurThe purpose of our strategy is to help our customers pursue their passions and enrich their lives with the help ofthrough technology. We want to play two roles for them: be their trusted adviser and solution provider; and be their source for technology services for their home. Our customer value proposition is to be the leading technology expert who makes it easy for our customers to learn about and confidently enjoy the best technology.

The results of Jiangsu Five Star Appliance Co., Limited ("Five Star"), in our International segment, are presented as discontinued operations inon our Consolidated Statements of Earnings. Unless otherwise stated, financial results discussed herein refer to continuing operations.