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This research aims to consider the impact of common inventory system inaccuracies that occur in retail outlets on the inventory levels, fill rate, and service level of those outlets by simulating daily customer demand and random error in the inventory system.

The simulation experiments vary the amount of inventory system error, the frequency of inventory record error correction, the size of the daily demand, the number of days in the replenishment system's review interval, and the replenishment system's customer service level.

Inventory system error and the frequency with which the error is corrected are statistically significant for fill rate and service level. Thus, inaccuracies in inventory levels affect a retail outlet's ability to service its customers, though at the single SKU level, the results do not indicate a practical impact due to countervailing effects.

Retail outlets must be aware that error exists and can influence the behavior of their replenishment systems, but the overall impact may not be as significant as it might appear.

This research extends prior work on the effects of inventory inaccuracies and clarifies the debate pertaining to their ultimate effects on retail performance outcomes.

Explores the potential impact of recent changes in planning policy on the growth of a new UK retail format ‐ factory outlet centres. Factory outlet centres are a new out‐of‐town shopping genre which has been imported from the USA. In 1993, there were two such centres in the UK; by 1994, there were proposals for 18. During the same time period, government policy towards out‐of‐town shopping developments changed, with successive guidance notes aimed at restraining out‐of‐town developments in a bid to enhance the vitality and viability of town centres. Examines the impact of changing policy on the development strategies of factory outlet centre developers and outlines the current and potential future shape of factory outlet centre retailing in the UK.

Despite the large interest in urban food markets, there are, however still relatively few good studies that have empirically documented the functioning of retail markets in developing countries, especially in Africa. The purpose of this paper is to look in particular at the case of Addis Ababa, a city of more than four million people and the capital of Ethiopia, one of the most populous countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. To better understand urban food retail, the authors rely on a large primary survey.

To better understand urban food retail, the authors rely on a large primary survey. Based on a stratified sampling scheme representative for the city as a whole, 1,226 urban food retail outlets were interviewed in March and April 2012.

The authors find increasing differentiation in food retail markets in recent years. Despite the prohibition of foreign direct investment in food retail, a domestic modern private retail sector is quickly emerging. However, its share is still very small and, in contrast to roll-outs of modern retail in other countries, it has not yet entered the cereal sector, which remains in the hands of local flour mills, cereal shops, and cooperative retail outlets. The importance of cooperative retail is growing even more rapidly. It is especially important for those products where supply chains are controlled by the government. On the high-end, domestic private modern retail outlets deliver high-quality products at significantly higher prices, ceteris paribus. At the other side, the authors see cooperative retail that delivers food at significantly lower – and subsidized – prices. However, the latter shops are characterized by typical price control problems, reflected in regular lack of supplies and queuing.

The study is limited to the city of Addis Ababa and it seems useful if similar studies could be conducted in other cities in Africa.

Despite the large interest in urban food markets, there are still relatively few good studies that have empirically documented the functioning of retail markets in developing countries, especially in Africa. The paper therefore contributes to fill this lacuna by studying urban food retail markets using new and unique data for Africa.

Outlines the origin and development of factory outlet shopping centres in the UK and explores some of the tensions and relationships between developers, planners and retail operators, as a means of helping to understand the development and property management process.

This paper analyses the efficiency of individual retail stores belonging to a Portuguese multi‐market hypermarket retailing chain, employing data envelopment analysis (DEA). The use of DEA for the analysis of intra‐chain comparative store efficiency can be of value in examining the competitiveness of the chain as a whole. Competitiveness should be based on benchmarking the retail outlets which compose the chain. We conclude from our research that some outlets are at the frontier of best practice, while others are inefficient. Managerial implications arising from the study are considered.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the state of readiness of the Indian retailing sector for the implementation of mobile retailing applications. It also identifies the most critical success factors (CSFs) for mobile retailing implementation through retailing process reengineering (RPR) framework.

This paper attempts to identify a few CSFs through questionnaire survey and interview, subsequently establishing the inter-factor relationships through interpretive structural modeling framework and computing the priority weights of the interrelated factors using analytic network process. Finally, the authors compute the retailers’ RPR implementation readiness indices for mobile retailing using Multi-Level data envelopment analysis methodology.

The 11 CSFs have been identified. Out of these, two factors namely Strategic Alignment and Management Control and Quality Contribute profoundly for mobile retailing implementation. Finally, a readiness index has been computed for implementation of mobile retailing in the selected retail outlets through RPR framework.

Only a few selected large retail outlets have been considered in this study and the sample size was modest. This study only revolves around the Indian retail sector.

This study can be used as a decision support system for mobile retailing implementation in Indian retail sector. Moreover, based on the results of this study, a few retail outlets are completely ready for mobile retailing implementation. Apart from them, the other retail outlets can improve their readiness index by emphasizing on performance scores of the CSFs.

Due to the scanty literature on mobile retailing, this study contributes to the mobile retailing body of literature in three ways: first, identification of CSFs in mobile retailing; second, interrelationship among the factors; and third, proposes a rational framework to compute retail outlets’ readiness indices for the implementation of mobile retailing through RPR framework.

It is not uncommon for the USA to be the origin of innovative retail formats. In recent years in the UK, the most recent retail out‐of‐town developments have their roots in the USA, most notably warehouse clubs and factory outlet centres. Charts the growth of one of these formats, factory outlet centres, in the UK and discusses the prospects for development potential in other European markets. Semi‐structured interviews were carried out with major developers and development consultancies to ascertain the type of strategies pursued, the locational criteria for site selection, the role of tenants in this process and the degree of customization or standardization of the format in market entry strategies. Although the UK appeared to offer US developers the best opportunity for market penetration, planning policy has progressively worked against the development of this retail format. It is unlikely that any more than seven to eight US‐style factory outlet centres will be built out of a total of 26 developments by 2001. There has been a considerable downsizing of initial proposals, with the creation of smaller, more downmarket centres than in the USA. US developers have been forced to seek sites in the rest of Europe much earlier than originally intended. Their strategies have differed from the standardized, upmarket brand character of one operator compared with a more customized approach adopted by the market leader.

Retail warehousing is a subject of great topicality and interest. The property and planning press regularly contains new superlatives describing the behaviour of this sector of the retail industry. ‘…furniture and DIY warehouse sales were £658 million in 1984 showing a growth of 25% per annum since 1981.’ ‘Since 1977 retail warehouse rents have increased by a staggering 16.5 per cent per annum…compared with 13.0 per cent per annum for prime town centre retail rents.’ In 1986 there were current planning applications for more than 1.75m sq. ft of retail warehousing in the outer south east alone and ‘there are now over 1,000 stores in the country, with an estimated 40 chains currently seeking sites for 1,900 out‐of‐centre stores.’ Such statements distract the attention and make more difficult an examination of the factors which have underlain the emergence and remarkable growth of retail warehouses. Retail warehouses are one particular type of retail outlet and should be considered within the context of those wider trends evident in the retail sector as a whole.

Presents theoretical and methodological considerations and techniques which bear directly on the valuation of retail properties in Australia and, to lesser extents, the UK and the USA. Surveys the Australian retail sector in terms of its overall significance for the national economy as well as the relative performance of the sector’s constituents. Considers the current domination of the sector by the regional and local shopping centres and the correlative decline in importance of retail outlets in traditional shopping streets. Contends that the dominance of shopping centres has produced an oligopolistic situation with regard to the supply of retail space in regional shopping centres because of the high regard in which such centres are held by major investing organizations. Despite the ability of shopping centres to produce income flows with apparently substantial year‐by‐year increases, this trend has been bucked in recent years by below replacement cost sale prices achieved by a number of shopping centres. Raises the crucial question of which factors should be considered most influential by valuers in assessing the capital worth of retail properties. Provides exemplary calculations by which realistic assessments are achievable. Casts a critical eye over entrenched “axioms” of the trade, such as that retail tenants can pay increased rents annually regardless of economic considerations and irrespective of the actual profitability of their retail activities. Considers the difficulties which now beset the position of specialty retailers in relation to the shopping centres in which they rent space. Argues for the importance of partnership relationships between landlords and tenants and predicts that the constant quest to maximize the rentals of individual retail outlets within shopping centres may seriously threaten the long‐term security of those centres. Presents recommendations for improving the prospects of successful trading by shopping centres against a consideration of potential developments of other purchasing means (warehouse retailing, TV retailing and catalogue shopping). Concludes that many shopping centres currently regarded as prime investments may appear less attractive when reconsidered in the light of the developments here outlined.

Past research has shown that consumers believe there is a strong relationship between price and quality; they also believe there is a strong relationship between brand and quality. Therefore, when comparing similar pieces of apparel, items with a designer brand or a higher price are perceived, by most customers, to be of higher quality. The purpose of this study was to compare the pricing and quality of identical designer merchandise sold in department stores and manufacturers’ outlet stores. The researchers found no significant differences in the quality of apparel sold in the two retail formats; however, there was a significant difference in the price. The department store merchandise was 31 per cent higher in price than the outlet store merchandise.