Out of Town Shopping: The Future of Retail

phil ruston british library

This guide leads the reader through every aspect of retailing in the UK, from the social and environmental aspects inherent in out-of-town development and the diminution of the high street to the brave new world of electronic commerce. There have been profound changes in the way we shop. Small corner shops are rapidly disappearing as they are unable to compete with supermarkets. Traffic, parking problems and high rents have forced many supermarkets to move to out-of-town sites. This has radically altered the faces of high streets in the middle of towns as more and more shoppers desert them, leading to the disappearance of clothing and food stores, post offices, banks and pharmacies. Out-of-town one-stop shopping, open at all hours, is a major attraction for car drivers but far from satisfactory for other shoppers and employees. The author also looks to the future in his account of online shopping.

Genres

182 pages, Hardcover

First published September 13,1999