CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS OF RETAIL CHAIN INTEGRATION INTO GLOBAL RETAIL

The article substantiates an ecosystem-based view of global retail as a multi-level system in which retail chains integrate not only through international expansion, but through coordinated participation in network interactions, digital-platform architectures, logistics capabilities, and institutional rules that shape value creation across borders. The purpose of the study is to develop the conceptual foundations of retail chain integration into global retail by systematizing contemporary theoretical approaches and refining the categorical apparatus for analysing integration processes. The methodological basis combines a systems perspective and comparative analysis with critical synthesis of academic sources and conceptual modelling; SWOT analysis is applied to translate the conceptual results into a managerial interpretation of drivers, constraints, and risks. The paper identifies four dominant lenses—network, structural–ecosystem, digital–omnichannel, and institutional—and demonstrates the analytical gaps that arise when integration is reduced to only one dimension (e.g., geographical presence, channel proliferation, or governance compliance). As a contribution, the study proposes an authorial definition of integration and operationalises it through a seven-dimensional parameter set: spatial, network, platform, logistics, omnichannel, institutional, and value dimensions. This parameterisation clarifies how integration unfolds across levels (firm, inter-firm networks, platforms, supply chains, and regulatory fields) and provides a coherent basis for diagnosing integration strategies of national retail chains in global retail ecosystems. The results create prerequisites for subsequent empirical work aimed at developing measurable indicators (e.g., for platform interoperability, fulfilment coverage, OTIF/lead time performance, unified customer data governance, and compliance maturity) and for con