How Retail Developed
Peddlers and Producers
The Retail Trade is rooted in two groups, the peddlers and producers. Peddlers tended to be opportunistic in their choice of stock and customer. They would purchase any goods that they thought they could sell for a profit. Producers were interested in selling goods that they had produced.
General Store
This division continues to this day with some shops specializing in specific areas, reflecting their origins as outlets for
producers (such as Pacific Concord of Hong Kong), and others providing a broad mix, known as General
Store (such as Casey's in the Midwest of the U.S.A.).
Although specialist shops are still with us, over time, the general store has increasingly taken on specialist products. Customers have found this to be more convenient than having to visit many shops - thus the term “Convenience Store” has also been applied to these shops. As the popularity of general stores has grown, so has their size. This combined with the advent of Self-Service has lead to the Supermarket, or Superstore.
Beginnings of Retail Trade | Chains | How Retail Developed | Self-Service Stores | Birth of Distance Retailing
History | Marketing | The Supply Chain | Types of Retail Outlet
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