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In this paper we problematize the contextualization and analysis of innovative international retailing practices in time and across time. Theoretically, the paper contributes to an understanding of the role of marketing activities in defining the boundary of the international retail firm. Using historical methods and drawing on primary data from firm-based archives in the United States and the United Kingdom this paper shows how adopting a long-term perspective on retail marketing innovation facilitates a deeper and richer understanding of the internationalization of retail activity from the perspective of practice and theory. We explore the epistemological challenges of incorporating historical methods into mainstream marketing research. These historiographical and theoretical issues are explored through consideration of the role of ‘flagship’ stores in the creation of brand identity in international markets during and between the first and second global economies: 1880 - 2019. Analyzing the experiences of American and British firms, this paper explores strategic tensions created by the relative financial and marketing value of iconic stores in prestigious locations in international markets. At the firm-level, the paper provides insight into the emergence and development of in-house branding, retailing and marketing practices. At the market-level, we explore how marketing innovation defined by the first global economy (1880-29) was challenged by volatile trading conditions after 1929 and subsequently reasserted in the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century (1980-2019).

This article considers the international retailing activities of Tiffany of New York between 1837 and 1914. Using data from the company archive alongside other sources, the article considers the firm’s international retail operation from entry stage merchant buying activity through to the establishment of modern retailing facilities. The findings indicate five factors were determinants of sustainable international retailing: a centralized organizational structure, a stable ownership structure, existing international engagement, a strong brand identity, and a relevant international retail format. Placing Tiffany’s activities in its wider commercial and consumer context, the findings illustrate the organizational changes and asset combination required to support the development of early international retail operations. The article contributes to theoretical understanding of the dynamics of retail internationalization.

This article considers the international retailing activities of Tiffany of New York between 1837 and 1914. Using data from the company archive alongside other sources, the article considers the firm’s international retail operation from entry stage merchant buying activity through to the establishment of modern retailing facilities. The findings indicate five factors were determinants of sustainable international retailing: a centralized organizational structure, a stable ownership structure, existing international engagement, a strong brand identity, and a relevant international retail format. Placing Tiffany’s activities in its wider commercial and consumer context, the findings illustrate the organizational changes and asset combination required to support the development of early international retail operations. The article contributes to theoretical understanding of the dynamics of retail internationalization.

This article considers the international retailing operation of Liberty of London in Paris between 1889 and 1932. Using data from the company archive, the article challenges assumptions regarding the nature and role of early retail activity in the internationalisation process. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from the marketing and management literature, the article considers Liberty’s Paris operation from entry stage activity in the late 1880s through to the divestment process in the early 1930s. Detailed consideration of this firm shows that the specialist retailer with distinct firm specific assets developed in the domestic market was operating internationally in the late nineteenth century.

This study explores the franchise relationship in China, focusing on the relational constructs of power, control, support and conflict in this developing franchise environment. Agency theory has dominated franchise research. A more rounded theoretical interpretation of the franchising relationship is offered by employing both agency theory and institutional theory perspectives. The study adopts an interpretive approach, employing in-depth interviews with franchisors and franchisees in nine franchise organisations operating in the retail sector in China. It contributes a fuller understanding of how to manage the research process in China. The study reveals how the relational constructs of power, control, support and conflict are manifest in the franchise relationship in China. The explanatory power of agency theory is apparent when viewed in terms of the vertical agency problem. However, free-riding outside the franchise system, in the form of counterfeiting, mitigates against the occurrence of free-riding within it. With regard to institutional theory, we demonstrate that the regulatory institutional pillar is a crucial foundation for the franchise relationship. The study offers insights for franchisors and franchisees considering franchise relationships in China. For the first time in the literature, this study offers insights into key elements of the franchise relationship in China. Employing both agency and institutional theories facilitates a rounded explanation of the developing franchise environment in China.

Globalisation creates threats and opportunities for retailers in both international and domestic markets. Recently, researchers established a framework for examining the development of supra national marketing segments to explain acculturation to the global consumer culture (AGCC) (Cleveland & Laroche, 2007). The research presented here extends their work by examining demographic and cultural drivers of AGCC and the impacts of global acculturation on ethnocentrism towards international retailers among a cross-section of US consumers (N = 492). Findings suggest that, to varying degrees, demographics and individualism impact four of the dimensions of AGCC, while the dimensions of AGCC impact ethnocentrism for food and fashion retailers. Cosmopolitanism and social interaction consistently reduce ethnocentrism towards retailers among the sample data.

While on a global scale consumers are becoming more homogeneous, as a result of the increasingly globalized marketplace, researchers suggest that consumers within individual countries are becoming more culturally heterogeneous. Consequently, M. Cleveland and J. Laroche (2007. Acculturation to the global consumer culture: Scale development and research paradigm. Journal of Business Research, 60, 249–259) advocate segmenting consumers acrossmarkets on the basis of acculturation to the global consumer culture (AGCC) rather than segmenting at the individual country level. In this they anticipate AGCC will reflect demographic characteristics. However, little empirical work exists to validate or challenge the assertion that demographicsmoderateAGCC. This exploratory study uses generational cohort theory (GCT) to examine the relationships between cohort membership and level of AGCC among a sample of US consumers (N = 492). The findings suggest AGCC does identify differences between cohorts.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the development of research in international retailing over the last 20 years and propose a future research agenda within a conceptual framework. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the development of the retail internationalisation literature. Findings – Explains how different research topics have emerged over the years and how researchers have responded methodologically to the different research challenges encountered. Research limitations/implications – The paper emphasises the importance of journals such as the International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management in the development of the international retailing research domain and discusses the challenge researchers currently have in developing the subject area. Practical implications – Explores current understanding of the internationalisation process and through the consideration of different activities and processes within the international retail firm proposes a future research agenda. Originality/value – The paper addresses the achievements of researchers in the area of international retailing over the last 20 years and, within a conceptual framework, explores those lacunae in the knowledge base that require further research.

Large American international retailers have been defining global consumers’ in-store experiences for decades. Firms such as Woolworths, and concepts such as the supermarket, have changed how we use stores and what we expect from them. American innovation in retailing in the twentieth century was synonymous with the notion of “big is beautiful”.