Greek retailing in transition

Within the past four years retailing in Greece has begun to change dramatically. A system of small, independently owned and operated shops,which has been protected by tight legislative controls on store operations, is now under threat from the introduction of modern retail formats, organization and management practices – largely by foreign retailers, either directly or through joint ventures and franchising activity. The trigger to the change has been the liberalization of the trading environment. The consequences for consumers, indigenous retailers and wholesalers, and manufacturers are likely to be profound. The sudden nature of the change and the size of the country make Greece an ideal laboratory for the study of retail change.