Wei Ren

International expansion is the most important and far-reaching corporate strategy used currently by leading retailers. Wal-Mart Corporation is not only dominant in the domestic market but also operates successfully worldwide. This research explores the spatial expansion strategies of Wal-Mart Supercentres in Canada. The research context for the study is provided through a review of literature in the areas of retail internalization, Canadian food & general merchandise and retail location strategy. Geodemographic segmentation and trade area delimitation techniques are used to define the demographic characteristics within the surrounding area of Wal-Mart Supercentres. The research findings reveal that Wal-Mart Supercentres location strategies target the areas that are slightly higher than average in terms of socio-economic characteristics. The typical neighbourhoods that are targeted are found within the suburbs and smaller towns with population of no more than 50,000. The form at has not been developed in inner urban markets. The profiling approach adopted in this study provides the basis for future analysis of Wal-Mart's location strategies and the their evolving supercentre business model.