Routledge Library Editions: Retailing and Distribution brings together as one set, or individual volumes, groundbreaking retail studies from the field of human geography. Encompassing town and retail planning, marketing geography, the development of shopping centres and the rise of consumerism, this set is an opportunity to purchase previously out-of-print classics from a variety of academic imprints such as Croom Helm and Methuen.
Retailer’s buying power has significantly increased in recent years as a result of a process of market concentration. As vertical relationships in marketing channels have strengthened their influence over the shape of the industry, the producer-distributor relationship has become more central to an understanding of both marketing practice and the conduct and performance of consumer goods industries. This comprehensive and detailed book covers the theory and practice of national and international retail and marketing channels. It provides a structural overview of the producer-distributor relationship as well as analyses of specific aspects of channel control and management. Finally, the book assesses the implications of new developments in the evolution of marketing channels. First published 1989.
Changes in the philosophy of planning and the political influences behind it have led to an increasingly ambivalent approach to retail and commercial matters and a lack of clear goals and objectives as to what both central government and the local authorities should be concerned with. It begins by examining the growth of office blocks and shopping centres, and goes on to analyse and criticise the existing planning processes, suggesting alternative procedures. It looks at the dual needs of development on the one hand and renovation and redevelopment on the other and discusses how these should be dealt with in the future. More specific problems are also examined: the impact created by new shopping schemes, the decline of small shops and related activities, the conflict over transport demands and provisions and the special physical needs of particular urban and rural environments. Throughout, the argument is supported by detailed examples of particular developments. Originally published 1984.
This title surveys and sets in context the wide range of research work that has been done on retailing. It concentrates on western industrial societies, particularly Britain and the USA, and considers empirical research, theory and theoretical applications.
Retailer's buying power has significantly increased in recent years as a result of a process of market concentration. As vertical relationships in marketing channels have strengthened their influence over the shape of the industry, the producer-distributor relationship has become more central to an understanding of both marketing practice and the conduct and performance of consumer goods industries. This comprehensive and detailed book covers the theory and practice of national and international retail and marketing channels. It provides a structural overview of the producer-distributor relationship as well as analyses of specific aspects of channel control and management. Finally, the book assesses the implications of new developments in the evolution of marketing channels. First published 1989.
9. Store Location and Store Assessment Research; The process of selecting a new location; forecasting and evaluating retail performance; summary; 10. Conclusion; Author Index; Subject Index.
The shopping centre has become an established feature of urban structure over the past thirty years. Development of centres has been rapid and little attempt has been made to consider the development process and the problems caused by it. There is a growing awareness that centres are not always wholly beneficial to their host cities and that some public policy control is necessary. This book examines the shopping centre development process and analyses the control policies which have been taken and which are needed. It draws on material from throughout the developed world. First published 1985.
Britain’s high street revolution has made retailing one of the most important and dynamic sectorsof the British economy in the last twenty years. It has had an irreversible impact on our towns and cities and, for many people, transformed shopping from an unattractive domestic chore to a pleasurable ‘leisure ‘experience’, offering consumers an everchanging array of ‘disposable dreams’. The resulting ‘retail culture’ is everywhere – it has colonised huge areas of our social life outside the traditional high street, from sporting venues to arts centres, from railway termini to museums. Many see it as the epitome of Thatcher’s Britain, breeding acquisitive individualism and destroying our traditional manufacturing base. Others see it as a potential saviour of an ailing economy. Yet to date there has been no thorough analysis of this all-pervasive phenomenon, from its economic roots to its profound social effects. In Consuming Passion, Carl Gardner and Julie Sheppard have written the first overall study of the ‘retail revolution’ – a controversial and hard-hitting look at where retailing has come from, what it has achieved and where it is going. Key issues such as the role of design, the growth of the supermarket and shopping centre and the poor conditions of retail employment are all minutely examined. The book also discusses the very real pleasures that consumers gain from today’s enhanced shopping experience. The authors take an iconoclastic look at some of the powerful myths that have sprung up around retail: ‘the death of the high street’ scenario; the central role of credit; retailing as a major creator of employment; and the imminent possibility of ‘retail saturation’. A fascinating book for everyone who likes shopping – and even those who hate it. First published 1989.
Originally published between 1982 and 1996, and addressing issues of central importance to the competitiveness of firms and economies, the volumes in this set draw together research by leading academics in the area and provides a rigorous examination of key issues relating to employment in small businesses. They: Study both the growth and the barriers to growth of small firms Examine problems of rurality Investigate the variation in rates of new venture initiations across manufacturing industries Include a wide range of national case studies from Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK, Greece, Spain, Israel and Indonesia. Discuss marketing in the small business and the relationship between small and large firms in an advanced capitalist economy Reassess economic theories concerned with concentration and competition the relationship between small and large firms in an advanced capitalist economy Analyse the managerial factors most closely associated with successful small firms
The retail sector is an integral part of a national economy. From the political economy perspective, all consumer goods have surplus values locked up in them; the surplus values are not realized until the consumer goods are purchased by consumers through various distribution channels. As such, retailing is the essential link between production and consumption. The success of a retail business depends on two general factors: the location of the retail outlet, and management of the business. Both factors are equally important. If the business is located in the wrong place with the wrong customer base, it will not generate expected sales. Similarly, if the business is poorly managed and operated, it will not perform well even if the location is right. Influenced by both traditional and new location theories, Retail Geography is conceptualized and organized using the retail planning process as the framework. The technical and methodological chapters help guide the reader with detailed descriptions of the techniques and are supported with practical examples to reflect the latest software development. Retail Geography provides a state-of-the-art summary and will act as a core textbook for undergraduate and graduate students of economic geography interested in specializing in retail and business geography. The practical examples also make it a valuable handbook for practitioners in the field, as well as students of retail management and commercial real estate management.
