Grocery provision in the USA: room for expansion?

Despite recent debates in the literature surrounding the notion of absolute saturation in European food retailing, it is clear that concerns over saturation provide a partial explanation for the search for new markets overseas. For two European retailers, Ahold and Sainsbury, the USA has provided such a new market. The aim of this paper is to compare briefly the variations in levels of provision between the UK and the USA and to then focus on an analysis of US state variations. Following a brief account of the changing structure of US food retailing, we present an analysis of its geographical dimensions, focusing on a discussion of possible opportunities for future growth in the US market.