BBY vs MKL Comparison

With $43.5 billion in consolidated 2023 sales, Best Buy is the largest pure-play consumer electronics retailer in the US, boasting roughly 8.3% share of the North American market and north of 33% share of offline sales in the region, per our calculations, CTA, and Euromonitor data. The firm generates the bulk of its sales in-store, with mobile phones and tablets, computers, and appliances representing its three largest categories. Recent investments in e-commerce fulfillment, accelerated by the covid-19 pandemic, have seen the US e-commerce channel roughly double from prepandemic levels, with management estimating that it will represent a mid-30% proportion of sales moving forward.

Markel's primary business is property and casualty insurance. The company focuses primarily on specialty lines, ranging from areas such as executive liability to commercial equine insurance. The acquisition of Alterra in 2013 added substantial reinsurance operations, which now account for a little less than 15% of premiums. The company uses capital generated by its insurance operations to buy noninsurance operations in diverse areas, such as bakery equipment manufacturing and residential homebuilding.