American retailers are by far the most global, according to the 2012 edition of CBRE's annual global retail report 'How Global is the Business of Retail?' Almost three quarters (73%) of those surveyed are present in all three regions, compared with 44% of EMEA-based retailers and 23% of retailers from Asia Pacific.

American retailers are by far the most global, according to the 2012 edition of CBRE's annual global retail report 'How Global is the Business of Retail?' Almost three quarters (73%) of those surveyed are present in all three regions, compared with 44% of EMEA-based retailers and 23% of retailers from Asia Pacific.

CBRE presented the survey this week ahead of the annual ICSC conference in Berlin.

Retailers from the Americas expanded their global coverage the most, growing their footprint by 3.6% thanks to the likes of Hollister, Apple and Forever 21 which have all been actively expanding their networks into new markets. Asia Pacific retailers were also active, increasing their global footprint by 2.7%. Retailers from EMEA were the most cautious of the three groups, growing their networks by just 1.5%.

The number one target for American retailers outside of their home region is London - 64.2% have at least one store there, closely followed by Dubai (61.2%). Kuwait City (49.3%) is in third place and was a key target for American retailers last year along with Riyadh, Milan, Paris and Sydney.

European retailers favour the Middle East when moving outside their home region, accounting for four of their top five target markets. Dubai is the most popular destination with 60.1% having a presence there, followed by Istanbul (48.6%), Kuwait City (44.3%), Riyadh (44.3%) and Jeddah (42.1%). Asia is also a significant target, with Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong all top 10 target destinations.

European retailers such as H&M and the Inditex Group have been growing their networks in both these regions.