ABSTRACT
The spatial concentration of ethnic populations is a feature of most societies and it is therefore an important aspect of cross-cultural retailing. A more recent development has been the emergence of gated communities. The first section of the chapter focuses on these two developments. The second section of the chapter traces the development of the department stores as a cross-cultural phenomenon, followed by the internationalization of the supermarket format. Supermarkets are an established retailing format in advanced societies but this is not the case in developing economies where small shops better suite the needs of consumers’ consumption patterns. Shopping malls have achieved almost iconic status as temples of consumption in consumer societies of the Western world. It is important to note the importance of culture in the context of the design, the service delivery, and the profile of the consumers that frequent the stores.
