The Global Retail Development Index

The annual A.T. Kearney Global Retail Development Index ranks the top 30 developing countries for retail expansion worldwide. The Index combines 25 macroeconomic and retail-specific indicators to help retailers devise successful global strategies and to identify developing market investment opportunities. GRDI scores are based on the following four variables: market attractiveness, market saturation, country and business risk and the time pressure, which represents near-term opportunities. Each country ranked on a 0-to-100-point scale—the higher the ranking, the more urgency there is to enter a country.

The GRDI is unique because it identifies today's most successful markets and those that offer the most potential for the future.

In 2014, GRDI ranks Chile first for the first time. Years of economic and political stability have helped the country build one of South America's most sophisticated retail environments. China moves back into second place this year, but even as the economy slows and conditions become more difficult for foreign retailers, the huge and growing market is impossible to ignore. Uruguay has one of the GRDI's most attractive markets and is ranked 3rd for the second straight year.

Source: Global Retail Development Index, 2014. More on A.T.Kearney's web site.