Retailing is the general
term covering all forms of selling goods to the public. It
is a profitable sector in the UK, especially for larger food
retailers.
Retailer
- In commerce, a retailer buys goods or products in large
quantities from manufacturers or importers, either directly
or through a wholesaler, and then sells individual items or
small quantities to the general public or end user customers,
usually in a shop, also called store. Retailers are at the
end of the supply chain
Retail
businesses in the UK are usually classified according to the
number of shops or outlets they have.
The
smallest operations, such as local grocery or convenience
stores are called single outlet retailers.
These are independent businesses run from one shop.
Small
multiple retailers operate a maximum of nine shops,
all selling the same range of products.
Large
multiple retailers (also known as chain
stores) are the big names in the business, such
as Marks and Spencer, Debenhams and the House of Fraser. These
companies have large numbers of stores selling a wide variety
of items. Some operate from out of town locations with parking
facilities, known as either superstores
(over 20,000 square feet) or hypermarkets
(over 50,000 square feet).
Department
stores, such as Harrods in London, are large shops,
which sell a wide variety of products. They are organised
in departments, each with its own manager, and are usually
found in city centres.
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