Nooteboom, B. (Bart)Thurik, A.R. (Roy)Vollebregt, J.A.C.international food tradehttp://hdl.handle.net/1765/9580enjournalArticle0167-8116The paper considers general trends of structural change in terms of averages in the general food trade. It gives an international comparison of trends concerning average shop size, number of shops per 1,000 inhabitants, the share of independents and concentration. On the basis of the evidence, three stages are proposed for the development of retail structure.1986-01-01 0167-8116 urn:NBN:nl:ui:15-1765/9580 243 247