If you look around your typical shopping centre or main shopping street at the plethora of McDonald's, Burger Kings, Specsavers, Body Shop, Tie Rack, Ladybird and other international chains operating alongside rows of Timberland, Mango, Mexx, Bertoni and Esprit fashion stores, you might be forgiven for thinking that Ireland has been invaded by hordes of international giants intent on gobbling up our cash.

One of the greatest complaints by consumers is that the Irish retail scene is being massacred by international chains killing off the indigenous Irish retailer. Well, that ain't so.

What you are witnessing is the culmination of a shift in sales and marketing practise over a period of 10 or 15 years by some savvy Irish retailers.

If you walked around a typical Irish shopping centre 10 or 15 years ago, only 10 or 15 per cent of the floor space would have been taken up by international big brand retailers, like The Body Shop, Mothercare and HMV. Now, Jones Lang LaSalle research shows that about 50 per cent of shopping centre floor space is occupied by branded retailers.

What is really interesting is that, while the names over the doors of those shops have changed to international brands such as Timberland, Mango, Mexx, Bertoni, Esprit or whatever, the people running those shops are in many cases the same Irish people who were running a similar fashion store in the same spot 10 to 15 years ago! This is because savvy Irish retailers are going the franchise route.

Whereas previously they could have spent at least 20 per cent of their time running around trade fairs all over Europe buying up stocks of lots of different brand names for their shops, now they negotiate with one Quiksilver, Timberland or Tommy Hilfiger franchise, for example.

They choose franchising for many reasons: more predictable return on their investment; no longer having to anticipate the market on all fronts; no more buying bits and pieces from different manufacturers; no more expensive international travel; and less hassle generally.

Relieved of all the trekking around trade fairs and trying to predict successful fashion trends, they can concentrate on finding good locations for their shops and running them.

They also acquire the convenience of central marketing support from the master franchiser and can select whatever product they think will sell straight from a catalogue.

In addition, they have instant access to the kind of product lines that brand-conscious customers would otherwise be flying off to Barcelona or Boston to buy. And, finally, the icing on the cake - no worries about mountains of unsold stock after a wet summer or an economic downturn because, with some franchise deals, retailers have the option to buy product on a sale-or-return basis.

Meanwhile, the franchiser is happy because, if they choose the right retail partner to do business with, they are well placed to grow their brands very rapidly.

A good franchise operation gives them easy access to new markets.

It means that they don't have to tie up their valuable capital in the buying and running of myriad retail stores abroad. They also avoid the risks associated with entering unknown markets because their local franchise partner is the person who will be best equipped to identify the optimum store location - critical for any retail venture.

Jones Lang LaSalle estimates the amount of floor space devoted to branded retailers is now as high as 50 per cent in some shopping centres and shopping streets.

That 50 per cent figure is expected to rise to about 70 per cent in the next five years as market intelligence shows that many other recognised international retail brand names, such as Abercrombie & Fitch and Tiffany & Co, are vying for large sites in strategic high street locations and major shopping centres.

The major branded retailers need larger prime-location shops. As a result, premium rents are being paid for this scarce commodity.

So bin any notions of Irish retailing being massacred by invading foreigners. Irish retailers are alive and well. Their bottom line is looking pretty healthy too.

Stephen Murray is retail agency director at Jones Lang LaSalle