Retailing is the set of business activities that adds value to the products and services sold to consumers for their personal or family use. Often people think of retailing only as the Sale of products in stores. But retailing also involves the Sale of services: overnight lodging in motel, a doctor’s exam, a Haircut, a video-tape rental or a home-delivered pizza. Not all retailing is done in stores. A retailer is a business person who sells products or services or both, to consumers for their personal or family use. Retailers attempt to satisfy consumer needs by having the right Merchandise, at the right price, at the right place, when the consumer wants it. Retailers also provide markets for producers to sell their Merchandise. Retailers are the final business in a distribution channel that links manufacturers to consumers. A distribution channel is a set of firms that facilitate the movement of products from the point of production to the point of Sale to the ultimate consumer. Retail management is a comprehensive textbook designed to meet the needs of all the students and teachers of the subject, professionals in this field and those pursuing MBA and Diploma in business and retail management. It is also a valuable source of information for industrialists associated with retail and managers and employees working in malls and retail store establishments. It provides an in-depth coverage of retailing theory and explains the key concepts of retailing through numerous illustrations, examples, exhibits, tables, figures and case studies. Beginning with introduction the book discusses retail location, store design and layout, brands, pricing and retail promotion strategies. The book also discusses challenges faced by retailers in India and other developing countries. It goes on to discuss category management, supply chain management, human Resource Management, Inventory Management, Internet retailing, information Technology and retailing. Finally, it discusses strategies to deal with booms and slumps, and legal and ethical issues in retailing.
S.C. Bhatia, a Chemical Engineer from BITS, Pilani and also an MBA, is a consultant in Environmental and Pollution Control, Energy Conservation and Polymer Sciences. He has worked in various petrochemical plants in production planning, maintenance, quality control etc. He has authored books on subjects ranging from chemical process industries, plastic and rubber technology to perfume, soaps and cosmetics. His area of specialisation include air and water pollution, energy conservation, rubber, plastics and biosciences. He has contributed numerous papers on chemical and allied subjects in chemical journals of repute. Among his published books, Managing Industrial Pollution, Industrial Chemistry, Perfume Soap and Cosmetics, Chemical Process Industries have earned great reputation. His other books soon to be published by Atlantic Publishers & Distributors are Environmental Biotechnology, Environmental Micro Biology and Wealth from Waste.
