This study aims to investigate and present a comparison of the level of development, structure and global trends in the global distributive trade, with a focus on the ten leading countries in the world. The first part of the study deals with comparing the level of development and the structure of the distributive trade in these ten leading countries. After that, the study deals with comparative analysis of global trends in the distributive trade, of the leading countries (modernization of retail formats, online trade, increase the participation of retail with its own brand, the concentration of trade, internationalization of the retail trade). Comparative analysis of distributive trade in the ten leading countries has shown that there are certain differences in the level of development and the structure of trade networks, which are the result of different levels of economic development of individual countries, but also other factors for development of trade. Comparative analysis of global trends shows diversity intensity of global trends in the distributive trade of the leading countries. Three leading European countries and the US have generally higher intensity of global trends.