Retail internationalisation from emerging markets : case study evidence from Chile

Abstract

Research on international retailing has generally emanated from Europe and North America. Nonetheless, retailers from emerging countries can also be important players in some regional markets. The aim of this paper is to explore how retailers from emerging markets can become strong enough to compete internationally. This study examines a longitudinal case study of the internationalisation process of Falabella, a Chilean retailer that has recently become an important player in the Latin America retail industry. Drawing on 32 interviews with company managers, as well as industry data and corporate reports, this paper provides insights into the successful internationalisation process of a retailer from an emerging country. In particular, these findings suggest that specific capabilities and resources, such as local and regional partnerships, organisational learning, innovation orientation, adaptation to the local markets, and an experienced management team, are required for emerging market retailers to internationalise and improve their likelihood of success in foreign markets.
This paper explores an underdeveloped topic through the analysis of a longitudinal case study. Thus, it is necessary to further expand this line of research and investigate other emerging market retailers.