Inventory Turnover › Electronics
Consumer Electronics Inventory Turnover Benchmarks 2026
Specialty electronics retailers run 5x to 7x turnover. Best Buy, the largest US pure-play, ran 6.4x in fiscal 2025. Manufacturers with direct sales (Dell, Apple) run 12x to 32x because the inventory is largely in-transit components rather than finished retail goods.
Named retailer 10-K data
| Retailer | Fiscal Year | Turnover | COGS | Avg Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Buy(BBY) | FY25 (ended Feb 2025) | 6.4x | $32.7B | $5.11B |
| GameStop(GME) | FY24 (ended Feb 2025) | 3.8x | $2.86B | $0.75B |
| Dell Technologies(DELL) | FY25 (ended Jan 2025) | 12.3x | $76.2B | $6.20B |
| Apple(AAPL) | FY24 (ended Sep 2024) | 32.1x | $210.4B | $6.55B |
Per-retailer notes
Best Buy (BBY)
6.4x turnoverLargest pure-play US electronics retailer. Vendor-managed inventory and tight planogram discipline keep turnover well above general merchandise.
Source: Best Buy 10-K, fiscal 2025
GameStop (GME)
3.8x turnoverSpecialty video-game retailer. Turnover depressed by used-game inventory which sits longer than new release stock.
Source: GameStop 10-K, fiscal 2024
Dell Technologies (DELL)
12.3x turnoverDirect configure-to-order model means inventory is largely just-in-time components rather than finished goods, pushing turnover above pure retail peers.
Apple (AAPL)
32.1x turnoverReference point only; Apple operates an industry-leading just-in-time model. Most retailers cannot replicate this without controlling manufacturing.
Source: Apple 10-K, fiscal 2024
Why electronics turns faster than apparel
Obsolescence risk drives the cadence. A laptop SKU may have a 12 month commercial life before being replaced by the next chip generation. Holding deep inventory past that window means writedowns rather than markdowns. Best Buy explicitly disciplines stock weeks against product life-cycle, reflected in their planogram and replenishment systems.
Operators with deeper turnover advantages share three traits:
- Vendor-managed inventory. Major brands (Apple, Samsung, HP) take stock-out risk; the retailer holds less safety stock.
- Direct-ship endless aisle. Long-tail SKUs ship from vendor warehouse, never sit in retail stock.
- Aggressive markdown cadence. Slow-moving SKUs are price-reduced within weeks, not seasons.
Related
Inventory Turnover (parent)
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Apparel Turnover
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Home Improvement
Home Depot vs Lowes.
Days Sales of Inventory
DSI formula and sector medians.
Endless Aisle
Direct-ship from vendor warehouse strategy.
Carrying Cost
Obsolescence drives electronics carrying cost.