In one of the first books to treat retailing as a subject of serious analysis, Retailing and the Public examines the state of one of the most important industries in the country. Retailing gives direct employment to more people than any other trade; it accounts for over half of national income. No other industry affects the public as much as retailing does. These facts stand as true today as they did in the 1930s, and this classic text, groundbreaking in its time, shines as much light on the present as it does the past. First published 1932.

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.

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. At the same time, changes within the distribution industry have brought new pressures to bear upon the environment which the conventional planning process seems ill-equipped to accommodate. This book, by an established leading authority, takes stock of the new problems to be confronted and provides the rudiments of an alternative planning approach to dealing with them. 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.

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.

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.

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.

This textbook provides an up-to-date, comprehensive and fully integrated treatment of retailing as a) and industry, b) a force shaping social attitudes and contemporary culture, and c) a force for change in modern townscapes. Unlike other texts which focus on specific topics, this book provides a treatment of retailing which will appeal to geographers, economists, planners and social scientists. First published 1991.