Edited by Dr. Ken Jones

This monography is the companion volum of Internationalisation of Retailing in Europe that was published by the CSCA earlier this year.  The papers in this report were presented at an International Geographical Union workshop on the Impact of the Globalisation of Commercial Activity on Communities that was held at Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto, Canada in November 1998.  This current publication examines the impact of globalisation of retailing in Canada from a variety of perspectives.

Collectively, the five papers in this monograph raise a number of important public policy issues at a local level.  How are the retail economies of our local communities changing? What are the emerging common trends? Is there room for the local independent in this new retail order? Can local areas and nation states retain distinct retail landscapes, or are we entering a world where local economies are controlled by a few international retailers?