During the 1990s transition period in Central and Eastern Euroṕe, the retail sector was privatised and some domestic-capital supermarket chains gradually emerged. Massive inflows of foreign direct investment followed and competitive domestic investments drove a rapid take-off of large-format modern retail sector development from a tiny 'luxury' niche of around 5% of food retail in the mid-1990s to 40-50% by 2003 in first-wave' and 20-40% in 'second-wave' countries. In 'third-wave' countries like Russia, it is still only 10% but growing very fast. In most countries there is rapid multi-nationalisation and consolidation of the supermarket sector, with profound changes in procurement systems affecting the conditions facing farmers, and creating important opportunities and challenges.