ABSTRACT
In his review of the literature on the motives for retailer internationalisation, Williams [1992:271] writes of 'motives stemming from an internationally appealing and innovative retail concept due to the existence and convergence of certain international market segments' (emphasis in the original). There are eleven citations which contribute to this strand of the literature. This paper focuses on the source of this motive - the existence and convergence of certain international market segments. This singular
motive is a combination of two conceptually separate, though linked, ideas. The first is the idea that there are certain segments which exist internationally, i.e., where the similarities between those within the segment outweigh differences associated with the nationalities of segment members. The second is the idea that (by implication) a degree of convergence is to be found between the requirements of segments in differing national markets. The link arises after 'convergence': by definition, an international segment can then be said to exist - though not all 'international market segments' must arise through the one process of convergence.
