Abstract: Different enterprises follow different growth patterns by which they study on their own advantages and disadvantages, thus making out effective growth strategies and experience sustainable and healthy growth. The framework of growth patterns of Chinese retail enterprises is established by studying Suning, Dashang, and Bailian as cases of retail enterprises growth. The findings reveal: (1)Internal growth and external growth are two types of growth for retail enterprises, the former involves self and direct expansion and the latter includes acquisition and strategic alliance, which interact throughout the whole process of growth of the retail enterprises. (2)Different retail enterprises are of great difference in growth patterns. (3)The selection of growth pattern is related not only with the growth stage of retail enterprise, but also with its own specific factors such as enterprise’s culture, expansion strategy, organizational structure, human resources, business mode and logistics.(4)The personal factors related with enterprise and growth pattern jointly determine the growth of a retail enterprise, thus affecting its growth performance.
Keywords: Retail，Enterprise Growth，Growth Pattern
source:Finance & Trade Economics ,No7,2013