Medium-sized enterprises in Sweden can be considered an important engine of economic growth. However, these companies are still few in number. The aim of this project is to understand how Swedish small businesses in the retail sector manage to expand their operations abroad and grow into medium-sized enterprises. Swedish retail companies are often dependent on foreign sales for continued growth. To achieve the purpose, we will study growth processes in small businesses by analyzing two databases. The qualitative database will be based on secondary data from retail companies. Specifically, we will conduct five case studies on retail companies that have managed to grow from small to medium size. The quantitative data collection will be conducted via an online survey to a larger group of internationally operating retail companies. The collected survey data will be complemented by secondary data. Planned methods to analyze the collected data include factor analysis and cox regressions. By combining case studies with new sets of objective data sources (covering long periods of time), the project can contribute to existing research on retail companies. The project aims to contribute to the development of the international research front and to generate knowledge for practitioners with an interest in helping retail companies succeed in long-term international growth.