The Changing Face of Retailing in the Asia Pacific

Retailing in the countries of Asia Pacific is changing dramatically. Changes which took decades, even centuries, elsewhere are happening in a few years. The growth of larger firms and the arrival of international retailers are changing the business landscape, bringing the consistent supply and presentation of wider ranges of goods to consumers, and leading to the development of new kinds of retail stores and modern shopping malls, often in new locations. All of these developments are important for economic growth and for consumers and their lifestyles, They raise questions for governments about foreign investment, about social and environmental change, and about the fate of traditional retailers. This book examines the trends, seeking to understand how far they are global and how local circumstances affect developments. International retailers have spread across the region, but not always successfully. Studies in several countries look at their processes of growth and some of the reasons for success and failure. A review of changing regulation across the region suggests regulators should be concerned to avoid the problems of overconcentration of retail power, and country studies reflect on the effects of regulation as well as cultural and other influences on change.

This book was published as a special issue of Asia Pacific Business Review.

Elizabeth Howard is a founder member of the Oxford Institute of Retail Management, in the Said Business School of the University of Oxford. After professional posts in town planning, she began work on retailing at the University of Newcastle and moved to Oxford in 1986, where she now designs and runs executive education programmes. Her research has focused on retail change, shopping centre development and public policies towards retailing.