This book examines the American industrial strategy, from the late 70s to the present day, in what is now known as the 'neoliberal era'. The author illustrates the ways in which the protection and promotion of American companies and industries took place in the context of the international 'free market'. He provides clear evidence of how the economic power of the United States - wielded to influence the formal and informal institutions of the neoliberal order - has been used as a tool for enhancing its competitive advantage against other world economies.

The retail market in the UK is worth more than GBP400 billion annually and employs over 3 million workers, while in the US 29 million people create over USD $4 trillion of revenue through the industry. Despite the challenge to establish stores and big-box retailers, there's a rapid increase in the number of retail start-ups and consistent growth in the independent sector. From beard shops and barbers, through cafes and coffee shops, to 'retailment' concept stores and boutique consumer-focused experiences, the specialist retail sector is booming. The Retail Start-Up Book provides clear guidance and advice on how to develop a winning retail strategy that seamlessly merges online and offline tactics. Introducing the science of shopping and how to understand customer behaviours and needs, it explores the essential steps of developing a business plan, marketing and promoting a business and advising on buying and visual merchandising. Building on years of retail experience nationally and internationally, in large groups and with independent retailers, The Retail Start-Up Book meticulously provide invaluable practical insights to help new retailers hit the floor running, or more established organizations grow their business and nurture their profits.

Bookstores are treasure troves of knowledge and ideas, invaluable for the imagination, and often reflect their owners' personalities in ways internet behemoths could never recreate. In this book, photographer Horst A. Friedrichs opens the door to the world of bricks-and-mortar bookstores, showcasing their variety, quirkiness, and vitality with lavish photography. It celebrates the passion and commitment of the owners with interviews and anecdotes. Explore William Stout Books, a specialty store for architecture and art books in San Francisco, and Baldwin's Book Barn in Pennsylvania, a 5-story bookstore housed in a dairy barn open since the mid-1940s. Discover Gay's the Word, the UK's first and only dedicated LGBTQI bookshop and Livraria Lello, whose art deco interior is a temple to reading in the middle of Porto, Portugal. Some of the featured bookstores specialize in a certain genre, some are massive with vaulted ceilings, some are tiny and filled to the brim with books, some are in historic buildings that evoke a different time and place, and some are brand new, high- tech, architect-designed spaces. What all the bookstores have in common is that they are all dedicated to spreading the written word to their communities. This is an ideal book for anyone who loves to read, browse, or simply linger in the analog world of books and bookstores.

There is nothing more satisfying than owning a shop of your own. Whether it's a designer clothing store, an exciting florist, or something for practically everything, this book will guide you through all you need to know about opening your own retail business. It is aimed at anyone who has a dream or a practical idea. It includes case histories of hands-on shop owners, their advice and top tips. You will be able to browse through such topics as: - Choosing the best location - Finding finance in a dwindling market - Developing a business plan - Exploring the costs of setting up - Selecting the products you want to carry - Decoration, displays and shelving - Meeting the challenges of a new business - Getting your business noticed in an internet age - Turning your passion into a profitable business

"Why do white women shoppers more often refuse to check their bags at the counter than African American or Latina women shoppers do? Why do male shoppers act more annoyed at having to be in the store than their female counterparts? Based on her experiences working in two toy stores, Christine Williams offers a cornucopia of illuminating observations. By focusing on the various ways gender, race and class influence how we shop and sell, she exposes the concept and ideal of consumer citizenship. In this, Williams give us an important idea and an original angle of vision."--Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of "The Commercialization of Intimate Life," and editor (with Barbara Ehrenreich) of "Global Woman: Nannies, Maids and Sex Workers in the New Economy"
"In this brilliant book Williams lays bare the social complexities of shopping for toys in America. She describes how shopping and working in toy stores are shaped by race, class and gender, and how children are taught how to consume. This is sociology at its best-laying bare the intricate nature of everyday life, showing us how the world can be different and better, all the while documenting the human drama that swirls around us. This book will change the way you shop, and the way you think about consumerism, inequality and the nature of 21st century American life."--Mary C. Waters, author of "Ethnic Options: Choosing Ethnic Identities in America"
"Williams doesn't just talk about consumption. She goes out and gets herself tough jobs selling toys, and comes back to tell the rest of us what selling and buying for kids are all about. Readers who care little about social scientific treatments of consumption will nevertheless learnfrom her lively account. Specialists will rapidly adopt her stories, observations, and arguments."--Viviana Zelizer, author of "The Purchase of Intimacy"
"Christine Williams has really gotten inside the big box selling machines of our day to reveal for all of us the strange, perverse logic of work, authority and sales in a retail industry driven by ethnic, gender, and class hierarchies. Read this book and you'll never buy another toy without thinking about the men and women who put it on the shelf!"--Nelson Lichtenstein, editor of "Wal-Mart: the Face of 21st Century Capitalism"

The objective of this report is to examine the extent to which countries in Latin America and the Caribbean participate in global value chains and what are the drivers of such participation. Production processes have been increasingly fragmented worldwide. For example, the production of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner involves 43 suppliers located in 135 locations around the globe. There are many examples like the Dreamliner, from the 451 parts that go into the iPod to the less technologically intensive but still widespread multi-country production of a Barbie doll. All this reflects significant changes in the way world production is being reorganized across national borders. That is, for many goods, production has become a multi-country process in which different stages are carried out in specialized plants in different parts of the world. Countries which specialize in different stages of the production process are thus linked by these global value chains. For developing countries, a clear opportunity from the continuous international fragmentation of production arises in the form of participating in activities that were virtually not opened to them in the past. Therefore, the international fragmentation of production provides opportunities for trade diversification, an issue that can be of particular importance for Latin America and the Caribbean as the region's export base is in general highly concentrated in a few industries and particularly biased towards natural-resource intensive sectors. The aim is to identify whether there is policy space for implementing strategies that allow countries to improve their position in regional and global value chains.

Basing shopper marketing strategy on customer insights is what differentiates market leading retail brands from weaker competitors. Many retail organizations lack business development and strategic departments that collect experiences, set benchmarks and create models and manuals. Retail Marketing Strategy makes the information available to drive new ways of thinking and make retail practice more agile for everyone. Outlining the five key capabilities required for retail excellence, namely in-store execution; organizational development; fact-driven decision making; multi-channel operations, and understanding customers, Retail Marketing Strategy answers some of the most difficult questions in retail including how to innovate to develop new ways to interact with customers across multiple channels, and how to replicate online success stories from other sectors. Practical steps are put forward for collating and interpreting the data generated in shopper activity, helping to make sense of trends and build effective strategy. Guidance is based throughout on neuromarketing research, providing a clear framework for building in experiential elements such as scent or music into the retail environment to really engage with consumers on an emotional level. If you are a marketing, branding or supply chain professional working in retail seeking straightforward and research-driven techniques for building lasting customer loyalty, or you are responsible for driving retail strategy in your organization, let Retail Marketing Strategy be your guide.

The general store in late-nineteenth-century America was often the economic heart of a small town. Merchants sold goods necessary for residents' daily survival and extended credit to many of their customers; cash-poor farmers relied on merchants for their economic well-being just as the retailers needed customers to purchase their wares. But there was more to this mutual dependence than economics. Store owners often helped found churches and other institutions, and they and their customers worshiped together, sent their children to the same schools, and in times of crisis, came to one another's assistance. For this social and cultural history, Linda English combed store account ledgers from the 1870s and 1880s and found in them the experiences of thousands of people in Texas and Indian Territory. Particularly revealing are her insights into the everyday lives of women, immigrants, and ethnic and racial minorities, especially African Americans and American Indians. A store's ledger entries yield a wealth of detail about its proprietor, customers, and merchandise. As a local gathering place, the general store witnessed many aspects of residents' daily lives - many of them recorded, if hastily, in account books. In a small community with only one store, the clientele would include white, black, and Indian shoppers and, in some locales, Mexican American and other immigrants. Flour, coffee, salt, potatoes, tobacco, domestic fabrics, and other staples typified most purchases, but occasional luxury items reflected the buyer's desire for refinement and upward mobility. Recognizing that townspeople often accessed the wider world through the general store, English also traces the impact of national concerns on remote rural areas - including Reconstruction, race relations, women's rights, and temperance campaigns. In describing the social status of store owners and their economic and political roles in both small agricultural communities and larger towns, English fleshes out the fascinating history of daily life in Indian Territory and Texas in a time of transition.

An interdisciplinary study of retail crime as a cultural phenomenon, drawing on economics, criminology and management to present a comprehensive explanation for the growth in retail thefts. This topical study explores crime prevention as a management issue, using criminomics, a concept based on commercial realities rather than maximising arrests.

The aim of EUROPEAN RETAIL RESEARCH is to publish interesting manuscripts of high quality and innovativeness with a focus on retail researchers, retail lecturers, retail students and retail executives. As it has always been, retail executives are part of the target group and the knowledge transfer between retail research and retail management remains a part of the publication s concept. EUROPEAN RETAIL RESEARCH welcomes manuscripts on original theoretical or conceptual contributions as well as empirical research based either on large-scale empirical data or on the case-study method. Following the state of the art in retail research, articles on any major issues that concern the general field of retailing and distribution are welcome.The review process will support the authors in enhancing the quality of their work and will offer the authors a reviewed publication outlet. Part of the concept of EUROPEAN RETAIL RESEARCH is an only short delay between manuscript submission and final publication, so it is intended to become a quick publication platform. "

First published in 1954, this volume presents a description and analysis of trends in the structure, organisation and technique of the distributive trades in the United Kingdom from 1850 to 1950. Special attention in the work was given to the growth of large-scale retailing and changes in the character of consumer-demand and shopping habits in the shops themselves and in retailing techniques. The study was intended to provide a contribution to a little-explored aspect of the social and economic history of the British people and to the economics of distribution and of scale in distribution. This book is complementary to the earlier study issued by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research - The Distribution of Consumer Goods (Cambridge, 1950) - which examined the costs and methods of distribution in one year. It will remain of value to anyone interested in the history and development of the British economy.

Originally published in 1950, this book is one of a series of studies regarding the structure of the British economy which were produced by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research after the Second World War. It was produced in collaboration with a group of leading businessmen, all of whom were concerned in one way or another with the distribution of consumer goods and dissatisfied with the existing state of knowledge about distribution. The study represented a substantial advance in the knowledge of distribution and an important contribution to structural economics. It will remain of value to anyone with an interest in the development of the British economy.

For Rosemary, Eve, Betty, Jean and Irene, working in Heyworth's department store in Cambridge is a dream come true. Once the girls step inside the elegant building - surrounded by beautiful dresses, sumptuous fabrics and glamorous accessories - the hardships and struggles of their own lives are temporarily forgotten. Heyworth's is a magical place, where the shop girls - in their smart, simple black dresses - serve the fashionable elite of Cambridge, and glimpse lives of style and ease far beyond anything they had ever imagined. It is also a place where hard work and talent are valued, and where these young women can forge a successful career. Set against the backdrop of the closing years of the Second World War, and moving into the 1950s, The Shop Girls perfectly captures the camaraderie and friendship of five ambitious young women working together in a store that offered them an escape from the drudgery of their wartime childhoods. Each of the girls' stories will be individually published from July 2014 in fortnightly serialised ebooks, leading up to the release of the complete edition (with bonus material) in September.

Shopper Marketing details how marketers can influence the buying decision in-store. The 35 contributors from top companies around the world have packed the book with practical advice on shopper needs and trends, retail environments, effective packaging and much more to equip product and brand managers, packaging experts, merchandising specialists and more with the tools they need to be successful in this field of sales promotion. The second edition of Shopper Marketing has been fully updated to include a new forward by marketing guru Philip Kotler and 12 new articles that reflect the current changes in the fast growing area, focusing specifically on the international scope, the online presence and the future of shopper marketing. New case studies from India, China, Brazil and Japan also add to the depth and breadth of the first edition.

This new book focuses on the analysis of the online strategy and development of the luxury industry, tracing the evolution of the Internet from a means of communication to a trade and distribution channel. The author provides a comprehensive evaluation and a critical assessment of the tactics required for the management of luxury brands online.

Standing at the intersection of history, business, and anthropology, this is the definitive guidebook for succeeding and prospering in any retail enterprise. As a senior retail executive for some of the best-known and most successful retail brands in the U.S. and abroad, author George Troy understands today's volatile retail landscape. In this time of tremendous challenge and realignment within the retail industry, retail executives and countless others are searching for answers and direction. Troy defines the underlying principles that have, for millennia, governed everything we retail-not just clothing and books, but also politics, religion, art, and other "products" and services. He explains how retailing really works and the rules for long-term success. For anyone wanting to be at the top of the retail food chain, The Five Laws of Retail brings together To Sell Is Human with The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to give you the tools for success in today's fast-changing world. After all, we are all selling something.

Get to know the activities, processes and people involved in wholesaling and its crucial role in the wider fashion industry. From working with fashion vendors and trend forecasting companies, to navigating trade shows, and working in different territories, Fashion Wholesaling is the ultimate guide to an often overlooked but rewarding career path. Clearly illustrated case studies and industry-focused exercises put the journey from apparel factory to retailer into a practical, real-world context for anyone looking for a way into the business of fashion.

International trade was of great importance for the Ottomans in the construction of their empire. Kate Fleet's book examines the trade links which existed between European merchants and their Muslim counterparts from the beginnings of the Ottoman empire in 1300 to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. By using previously unexploited Latin and Turkish sources, and by focusing on the trading partnership between the Genoese and the Turks, she demonstrates how this interaction contributed to the economic development of the early Ottoman state and, indeed, to Ottoman territorial expansion. Where other studies have emphasized the military prowess of the early Ottoman state and its role as 'the infidel enemy', the book offers an insight into its economic aspirations and eventual integration into the economy of the Mediterranean basin. This is a readable, authoritative and innovative study which illuminates our understanding of an obscure period in early Ottoman history.

Using a wide range of archival and written sources, Rudi Matthee considers the economic, social and political networks established between Iran, its neighbours and the world at large, through the prism of the late Safavid silk trade. In so doing, he demonstrates how silk, a resource crucial to state revenue and the only commodity to span Iran's entire economic activity, was integral to aspects of late Safavid society, including its approach to commerce, export routes and, importantly, to the political and economic problems which contributed to its collapse in the early 1700s. In a challenge to traditional scholarship, the author argues that despite the introduction of a maritime, western-dominated channel, Iran's traditional land-based silk export continued to expand right up to the end of the seventeenth century. The book makes a major theoretical contribution to the debates on the social and economic history of the pre-modern world.

Dieses Buch gibt einen Einblick in die vielfaltigen Moeglichkeiten, die die Zukunft des Handels bestimmen werden. Die Pandemie hat uns vor Augen gefuhrt, dass - auf der einen Seite - die stationaren Handler ihr Geschaftsmodell uberprufen und unverzuglich die Trends der Digitalisierung und Nachhaltigkeit integrieren mussen und - auf der anderen Seite - die Pure-Online-Handler zunehmend die Nahe zum Kunden suchen mussen. Beide Bewegungen werden zu neuen Geschaftsmodellen und Handelsformaten fuhren, die aus digitalen und stationaren Elementen bestehen werden. Erfahrene Experten aus dem Handels- und Konsumumfeld geben dem Leser Denkanstoesse, wie man sein Unternehmen zukunftsfahig gestalten kann. Neben anschaulichen Beispielen, pragmatischen Ideen und strategischen Anregungen werden auch Risiken und Chancen beleuchtet.Fuhrungskrafte und Praktiker erhalten wertvolle Hinweise fur die Neupositionierung des bestehenden Geschaftsmodells und die sinnvolle Kombination digitaler und stationarer Elemente. Der InhaltSmart Stores und Retail as a Service - Virtual- und Augmented-Reality-Technologien - Neue Formen des Bezahlens - Produktinformationen als innovativer Rohstoff der Digitalisierung - Direct to Consumer: Gefahren und Potentiale fur Handel, Hersteller und Startups - Erfolgsfaktor Reparatur und Reparaturlogistik - Innovationen im Handel nutzen und schutzen - Spezielle Verkaufstage: Black Friday & Co. - Herausforderung E-Food - Omnichannel-Logistik im Konsumguterhandel - Taschengeld und Taschengeldgeschafte im digitalisierten Handel - Kooperative Positionierungsmoeglichkeiten fur den Gross- und Fachhandel der Zukunft - Onlinehandel, Urbane Logistik und Nachhaltigkeit - Kunstliche Intelligenz als Technologiesprung bei der Warenversorgung - Retourenmanagement: Quelle zur Steigerung der Kundenzufriedenheit - Informations-Tsunami im digitalisierten Handel - Embargos und Sanktionen: ein Minenfeld fur den Digitalen Handel

This study of the brandy trade explores the origins, production and marketing of brandy from the Cognac region in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Professor Cullen shows that the brandy trade was based on a sophisticated regional economy, which, by 1720, had become a key component of French involvement in the modern international trading system. Notwithstanding competition from a surplus in other cereals and from foreign markets, regional specialization in the Charente was an indispensable element in ensuring the quality of stable output, and was recognized in the region's success in attracting foreign houses, such as Martell and Hennessy.

This book analyzes the business, geography and politics of shopkeeping in Milan between 1886 and 1922. The author studies the trades, techniques, tax structure and topography of the Milanese retail sector, addresses questions relating to petit bourgeois identity, and explains why shopkeepers were to be found on the political right in the years that led up to the Fascist takeover. This is the first full-scale study of any aspect of the experience of the Italian petite bourgeoisie in the pre-Fascist period.