That the total number of retail outlets in the UK is declining is not news. But what sort of retailers are disappearing? And in which parts of the country? David Kirby indicates that, surprisingly, not only the number of independents has declined, but also the number of multiple outlets, though...

For many retailers, research is something they undertake because they have a vague feeling they ought to do so, rather than because they anticipate any concrete benefits. It is the kind of attitude which prompted large retail organisations, years ago when the magic of electronic data processing...

Local planning authorities in the UK have developed over the past few years a number of interesting techniques for examining and sometimes measuring the attitudes and opinions of shoppers. There is of course a statutory obligation for local planning authorities to consult the public during the...

In a changing world retailers must ‘keep up with the times’ if they are to survive. The day of the Victorian emporium where frock coated assistants served from high oak counters whilst cash tubes whizzed recklessly around the ceiling have long since vanished. Yet many shops have undergone...

As television has grown from the mild diversion it was in the early 1950s to the national obsession it has now become, so our cultural watchdogs have warned us that, amongst other things, it would be instrumental in killing the function of reading. Yet there is evidence that this is by no means...

Electronic data processing in retailing is not new. It's been used for years for stock control, sales analysis, payroll. But now for the first time it's becoming commonplace for retailers to think in terms of the electronic cash register, treating it as an integral part of an information...

One of the most controversial issues in the distribution world is whether companies should contract out the various elements of the distribution function or whether they should operate them on an ‘in‐house’ basis. Dan Pettitt, with long and substantial experience in the transport world,...

Not so much a function, more a way of thinking about the business, is one of Gordon Wills' descriptions of PDM. In a characteristically witty and informative talk recently at a seminar organised by the Centre for PDM, he adopted the role of devil's advocate and offered sharp criticisms of the...

Which factors need to be examined in planning the most suitable, flexible and cheapest distribution network? Certain elements can be juggled with in working towards the solution: the type of transport, frequency of delivery, service levels — even the numbers and locations of supply points. In...

It will not come as news to readers that the past few weeks have witnessed an economic crisis on a scale unprecedented since the 1930s, and that the distributive trades have been and will continue to be — along with the housewife — in the forefront of the firing line. It has been a crisis...