China's New Retail Economy A Geographic Perspective [Hardcover]

Retail is the essential link between production and consumption. The dynamics of a nations 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 countrys 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 Chinas retail sector. This includes the entry and expansion of foreign retailers, the development of indigenous retail chains as a national strategy to modernize Chinas 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.

1. Introduction  2. The Consumer Market: Size, Consumption Patterns, and Regional Variations  3. Building a Modern Regulatory Regime  4. Trajectories of Growth and Changes in Retail Structure  5. Penetrating the Great Wall and Conquering the Middle Kingdom  6. Nurturing National Champions  7. The Setback of Best Buy and Media Markt: an Analysis of Chinas Consumer Electronics Retailing  8. Development of Shopping Centers as New Consumption Space  9. Luxury Retailing  10. Conclusions.  Appendix 1: Cluster Analysis of the Chinese Cities.  Appendix 2: The Hierarchy of Chinas Urban Markets by City Tier, 2010 (with Data for City Proper)

Shuguang Wang is Professor of GeogralóÇ