ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the European retail and its international ambitions and extensively discusses the geographic differences within Europe in terms of consumer behaviour. Formula takeover strategy is often chosen when the internationalisation is associated with distance jumping, where one cannot use the existing logistical infrastructure and back-office in the domestic market. The implications of the further unification of Europe are of increasing importance for the retail in the Netherlands. The underlying factor for the success of online retail is internet penetration. France is one of the largest retail markets in Europe. In the online field, the United Kingdom is ahead of the other large retail markets in Europe. The German retail is dominated by hard discounters in the food segment. In Italy, food retail is still divided over a large number of parties that are often regionally dominant, but have no national coverage.
