Apple Inc. opened its first retail store in 2001 in McLean, Virginia. Until then, its products had largely been sold through other retailers (e.g. Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA). By building and operating its first mall-based retail stores, Apple was engaging in: Apple Inc. opened its first retail store in 2001 in McLean, Virginia. Until then, its products had largely been sold through other retailers (e.g. Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA). By building and operating its first mall-based retail stores, Apple was engaging in: Total quality management (TQM) Backward vertical integration Outsourcing Forward vertical integration Horizontal integration