DDi - July 2013 - (Page 12)

12 | Newsworthy | Headlining South America tops Global Retail Development Index A ccording to the 2013 A.T. Kearney Global Retail Development Index (GRDI), which each year ranks the top 30 developing countries for retail investment worldwide, South and Latin America are important growth markets for retailers. Seven countries in the region— Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Panama, Colombia and Mexico—ranked in this year’s top 30, with Brazil taking the No. 1 spot for the third consecutive year. “Strong economic growth and political stability over the past years have helped to sustain the growth trajectory in these markets,” says Althea Peng, partner in the retail practice of A.T. Kearney and co-author of this year’s GRDI study. “Consumers are becoming more sophisticated and expressing greater preference for modern retail, and there are strong regional players, which make the region more resilient to the global economy.” She also cited important investments in mall development that are enabling the launch and expansion of international brands in Latin America. The study also revealed sustained momentum in Sub-Saharan Africa, with Botswana and Namibia ranked in the top 30, and a few other African nations almost making the cut. Additionally, a number of small countries with distinctive characteristics of wealth and consumer focus— including Uruguay (No. 3) Mongolia (No. 7), Georgia (No. 8) and Armenia (No. 10)—ranked in this year’s index. Published since 2002, the GRDI analyzes 25 macroeconomic and retail-speciﬁc variables to help retailers devise successful global strategies and to identify emerging market investment opportunities. “Retailers are still focusing on expansion, but they are being smarter about it,” Peng says. “They’re choosing locations more carefully, and ﬁne tuning their format and operating model.” —LAUREN MITCHELL, ASSOCIATE EDITOR | July 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - July 2013

DDi - July 2013
Contents
From the Editor
From the Show Director
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Editor’s Choice
Visual Perspectives
Design Snapshot
Karl Lagerfeld
Walgreens
Fred Perry
World Department Store Forum
Fixture Leaders Listing
Company Index
Right Light
In-Store Technology
Product Spotlight
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Shopping with Paco

DDi - July 2013