Distribution (place): Current status and future evolution of retail formats

Conclusion: The retail and trade market is one of the most important drivers of national economies. Therefore, it is necessary to develop it, especially in postmodern economies with highly demanding consumers and intense competition. In this paper, the current status quo of the retail landscape in the G8 countries has been shown. It can be noted that retailers are in a seemingly constant state of flux. The dominant player worldwide is clearly still Wal-Mart. When it comes to retailing, however, what works today will very probably not work tomorrow. The challenge is to identify the next development while it is still the next. Therefore, analysis of the current status of the retail landscape offers a good insight into the future shape of this extremely important market.