Western European Retail Chains in The Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia – Similarities and Differences

The paper deals with an analysis the growing presence of international retail enterprises in the Central European countries of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. Results of the research show that there are differences between the Polish market and the remaining two. The differences are in the scale of investments, the investors’ geographic origin, the number of stores within the network of the so called modern distribution channels (hyper- and supermarkets and discount stores). The diversity of location strategies used by Western European retail enterprises in the Central European markets is also shown, beginning with the methods of entering new markets (organic growth, acquisition of existing chains, franchising) and ending on the degree of concentration of retail stores in the largest cities of the three countries.