780 The Marketing Book
truly international brand, being represented
across five contintents, with 19 000 stores in 28
countries. Spar is the largest of the UK symbol
groups, but the Nisa/Today buying group
actually serves more outlets, 3500 in all.
Although some carry the ‘Nisa’ name, scope to
become a fully branded store group is limited,
as Nisa buys for other groups and small
multiples, including Booths, Jacksons and
Londis.Franchises
Franchising, in various forms, has a long
history both in Europe and the USA. Only from
the 1980s, however, has it emerged as a major
element of retail structure in the UK. The
number of franchised units grew from around
2600 in 1980 to 38 000 in 1998 (Key Note, 2000a).
France has proved especially conducive to
franchised retailing, with 40 per cent of
Europe’s franchised businesses. By 1998, in the
USA, there were around half a million fran-
chised businesses, capturing between one-third
and two-thirds of sales in many retail and
service sectors. Franchising can take many
different forms, notably the following:Table 30.2 Concentration of retail trade
Country Per cent trade by topFive TenCountry Per cent trade by topFive TenAustralia 43.1 49.3 Indonesia 4.7 6.4
Argentina 9.0 11.9 Japan 5.1 7.6
Belgium 24.2 28.8 Ireland 36.2 46.7
Brazil 8.5 11.8 Italy 10.0 15.7
Canada 23.9 38.3 Malaysia 8.2 11.8
Czech Rep. 8.1 10.7 Mexico 13.5 16.4
China 0.4 0.8 Netherlands 63.5 77.5
Denmark 31.1 36.7 New Zealand 45.0 53.4
Finland 43.2 49.8 Portugal 24.3 26.5
France 28.4 41.6 Spain 18.9 27.4
Germany 25.9 34.8 Sweden 51.0 63.5
Greece 9.4 13.2 Switzerland 35.2 40.2
Hungary 19.2 26.7 United Kingdom 23.5 33.3
India 0.6 0.8 United States 17.2 25.0Source: Euromonitor (2000).Table 30.3 Examples of
voluntary (symbol) groups
Sector Group OutletsGrocery Spar Convenience Stores 2800
Happy Shopper 2000
Londis 1800
Chemists Vantage 1500
Newmark 1385
Florists Interflora 2400
Electrical Euronics 1500Data are based on Nielsen’s (2001) estimates.