Trends in
International Business
A.R.E.’s 2012 surveys of retailers and retail environments suppliers
point toward continuing retail expansion internationally
International growth is currently out- pacing domestic growth—and it appears that it is going to continue that way,” says Robert Reeve Frackelton, a member
of A.R.E.’s international task force and vice
president of Reeve Store Equipment, based
in Pico Rivera, Calif.
Based on A.R.E.’s two 2012 surveys
of retailers and A.R.E. member suppliers of retail environments products, the
retail emphasis on expanding into faster-growing areas of the world is not going
away. Retailers still look internationally for
expansion and growth.
Based on retailer respondents to A.R.E.’s
2012 State of the Industry survey:
“
• 51 percent have stores outside North
America.
• 78 percent of retail respondents say
that they are expanding at least as rapidly internationally as they are in North
America—up from the 65 percent that last
year’s survey respondents reported.
• 22 percent are expanding more rapidly
in North America.
SUPPLIERS SUPPORT
INTERNATIONAL GROW TH
Many A.R.E. member companies now
provide at least some level of international
support for retailers, often through
company-owned or operated facilities,
strategic alliances, or joint ventures. “From
the manufacturer’s perspective, it’s a cost-
effective solution for retailers, without
them having to completely commit to an
international program,” Joel Katterhagen,
executive vice president of Everett, Wash.-
based Synsor, notes. He adds that very
few U.S.-based retailers are approaching
international expansion in a “gung-ho,
no-holds-barred” fashion.
SWEDEN
UNITED
KINGDOM
NORWAY
RUSSIA
(812 offices)
(98 offices)
CANADA
MEXICO
UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
PORTUGAL
FRANCE
SPAIN
CZECH REP.
HUNGARY
GERMANY
SOUTH
KOREA
ITALY
VIE TNAM
CHINA
( 32 offices)
JAPAN
INDIA
COLOMBIA
UNITED
ARAB
EMIRATES
THAILAND
MALAYSIA
TAIWAN
MACAU
HONG KONG
PANAMA
SINGAPORE
BRAZIL
INDONESIA
A.R.E.’s
Global
Reach
AUSTRALIA
KEY
Parent &
Subsidiary offices
1 to 5 offices
6 to 20
21 to 100
More than 100
Many A.R.E. member companies now provide at least some level of international support for retailers, often through company-owned
or operated facilities, strategic alliances, or joint ventures.
