The world's largest specialist consumer electronics retailer will be swinging its doors wide open this weekend as Best Buy UK finally touches down.

The first of the big box-style, out of town sites rolls into action at the Lakeside shopping centre in Thurrock - east of London on the M25 - on the morning of 30th April, just in time for a bank holiday weekend of foot fall. Then, in the coming weeks, similar 50,000-odd square foot stores will open in Aintree in Liverpool and Merry Hill in the West Midlands - both in June -  before a fourth comes to Croydon in the Autumn and a fifth due in Bristol by Spring 2011.

Best Buy offers more or less complete cover of consumer electronics devices including TVs and home cinema equipment, mobile phones, cameras and camcorders, computers, video games, music, GPS devices, electric bikes, eReaders, home appliances as well as a tonne of accessories and all sorts of subscription satellite and broadband services too.

The company aims to be cheaper than any of the competition in the local area while providing a unique customer advisory service supplied by the army of shop floor assistants known as Blueshirts. And for those nowhere near either Thurrock, Aintree, Merry Hill, Croydon or Bristol; there will be an online store opening in the Autumn as well as talk of central London locations in the future as well.

Best Buy has hit Europe after partnering with the Carphone Warehouse and is looking to gain a similar share of the market as it does State-side. As well as competing on price, there are also rumours of attempted takeovers of the DSG International chains - PC World and Curry's - as well as Comet superstores.

We'll have more of Thurrock site's opening weekend deals as well as the facts on what difference Best Buy shopping might make to you - both good and bad.