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.

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.