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Compares and contrasts the largest retail firms based in Asia, Europe and the USA. Data were obtained from AsiaWeek 1000, Fortune 500 and Europe 500 statistics. It is hoped that the baseline obtained through this research might serve as a basis for further research into the financial progress of these mega‐retailers. Continued analysis, it is proposed, will tell us much about the future of global retailing.

In response to corporate scandals the USA issued the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act to promote corporate responsibility for financial reporting. Some see the impact of the US legislation crossing borders and influencing the nature of financial reporting in other countries. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether or not there have been increases in transparency in non‐US financial markets, specifically in South East Asia, suggesting a ripple effect as a result of the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act.

The study examines the audited financial statements of 92 South East Asian companies issued before and after the Sarbanes‐Oxley legislation to note any significant increase in transparency. As a proxy for transparency, the study examines the number of footnotes included in audited financial statements.

The results indicate a statistically significant increase in the number of footnotes in the positive direction. Because of this increase, a changing trend of increased transparency is suggested in South East Asia.

In 2002 the USA passed the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act to promote corporate responsibility for financial reporting. Some see this US legislation creating a ripple effect on financial reporting in other countries. The findings of this study suggest a changing trend of increased transparency in financial reporting in South East Asia. Although this trend cannot be directly attributed to the effects of the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act, it appears to be related to a larger, more transcendent worldwide reform movement towards increased corporate responsibility and financial reporting to which the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act appears to have served as a catalyst.

The research presented here builds a picture of the direction of international expansion and the merging of retail structures. The research aims to consider European cross border expansion by considering the flow of investment as represented by the operation of retail outlets.

The data used in this research relates to the international activity of retailers in 23 Western European countries. Data were drawn from industry sources which included national and international trade associations, retail company news releases, government departments, trade magazines, and direct contact with individual companies. This data were then used to plot the cross‐border operations of European retailers.

The patterns established from the data set suggest that retail internationalisation within Europe is occurring on a significant scale and that there is an emerging pan‐European retail structure. The findings presented here also show that there is strong evidence of intra‐regional linkages within Europe. That is there is a particularly strong flow of retail activity between markets that are geographically and culturally proximate.

By looking at retail outlet numbers rather than the number of retail operations or fascias owned by international retailers in different markets, the paper adds a new dimension to understanding the development of pan‐European retail structures.