The most attractive investment locations

Chile tops the list of the most attractive investment locations for international retailing, displacing Brazil from the top spot to number five on the list. The second and third slots are occupied by China and Uruguay. This is the verdict of the Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) 2014, in which management consultancy A.T. Kearney has looked at the attractiveness of 30 growth markets for retail companies.
Latin America is becoming established as an attractive growth region for international retailers, with eight countries making the list: Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico. Sub-Saharan Africa is also gaining ground with three countries, Nigeria, Botswana and Namibia, in the top 30 of the GRDI 2014.
On the whole, fewer failures occurred in the process of expansion into growth markets than in the last few years, as international retailers have acquired much more experience, according to the study. They have also gained greater impetus from the increasing spread of e-commerce. New pressure is being felt from regional retailers, who are using their spatial proximity as a competitive advantage to secure market shares in neighbouring markets.