Do you find your country's cities are becoming homogenized?

This question is for residents of the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands. Also for all you Aussies, Kiwis, and anyone else on Fluther who lives outside the U.S.
As I’ve travelled more and more across the United States I’ve begun to realize how much cities and large towns are becoming more and more alike. Pretty much anywhere you go you find a TGI-TacoStarbuckKingChiliMcBurgerbee’s as well as a Walmart, Home Depot, Barnes & Noble, Target, and a Bed, Bath & Beyond. You pretty much have to find small hamlets and college towns to get away from all this. Not that they are all immune. I’ll admit that there is a certain comfort being in a strange town and finding something familiar. But the cost is way too high.
I’m not saying there isn’t any charm in many US cities (San Francisco, New York, Chicago as well as others are all great places with identities and charms all there own.) but the homogenization is slowly (maybe not so slowly) taking away a lot of that. Smaller towns, once charming, are becoming just like any other place as these big box stores and chain establishments take over the small businesses that once defined these places.
So my question is this:
Have you noticed the homogenization of your country, or is this exclusive to the USA?