China's New Retail Economy : A Geographic Perspective

Retail is the essential link between production and consumption, and the dynamics of a nation’s economy cannot be fully understood without a good understanding of its retail sector. This volume provides a comprehensive assessment of the changes in consumption patterns brought about by extensive economic reform, the current size of the Chinese consumer market, and regional variations within the vast country. It also outlines the transformation of China’s retail economy in the last three decades, including the entry and expansion of foreign retailers, the development of indigenous retail chains as a national strategy to modernize China’s retail industry, changing retailer-supplier relations, and the resultant structural changes in the retail sector.

Retail is the essential link between production and consumption. The dynamics of a nation’s economy cannot be fully understood without a good understanding of its retail sector. This book is written to achieve three broad objectives. First, it provides a comprehensive assessment of the changes in consumption patterns in China, the current size of the Chinese consumer market, and the regional variations. Second, it presents an interpretation of the changes in the country’s regulatory system and the corresponding policy initiatives, including the new state spatial strategies devised after its admission to the WTO. Third, it delivers a systematic analysis of the transformation of China’s retail sector. This includes the entry and expansion of foreign retailers, the development of indigenous retail chains as a national strategy to modernize China’s retail industry, and the changing retailer-supplier relations. This book is a useful reference not only for university students and faculty researchers, but also for international retailers and commercial real estate developers who contemplate business and investment opportunities in China.