Editorial

Citation

Broadbridge, A. (2002), "Editorial", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 30 No. 12. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijrdm.2002.08930laa.001

Editorial

The final issue of Retail Insights for Volume 30 presents a variety of items that will be of general interest to academics, practitioners and students.

The first article in this issue is by Ulf Johansson, assistant professor at Lund University, Sweden. In it he focuses on how buying processes in food retailing are structured, what information is used throughout the process and the utilisation of IT. He describes the food retail buying processes in three countries, chosen because they represent a range of different types of retail operations. These range from the vertically integrated and sophisticated operations of UK companies to the less integrated markets of Sweden and less integrated and less structured food market of Italy. The study indicates that the vertical integration of retailing operations influence how effectively buying processes are handled. Also, he argues that despite vast amounts of information, the use of information and IT to support the process is far from ideal. Furthermore, while buying is becoming increasingly strategic, there exists a lack of process innovation in structuring buying processes, indicating that IT has meant little more than rationalisation of existing processes.

The second article by Elizabeth Parsons, lecturer at Stirling University, presents an interesting update on UK charity shops, a sector that experienced almost explosive expansion throughout the 1990s. She demonstrates how charity shops fulfil a range of functions in their local communities in addition to generating money for the charity. The shops are important as the charity's "face on the high street", as well as providing clothes and household items cheaply to those in the local community. They also play a significant part in facilitating the recycling of household goods. Further, they perform an important social function in the lives of both volunteers and customers. The paper closes by exploring the current issues of concern facing the sector and provides some observations as to the likely future of this unique retail phenomenon.

The third article by Youn-Kyung Kim, professor at the University of North Texas, offers a positioning paper based on the work of Holbrook. The author argues that shopping malls and the Internet have become major competitors and that the selection of the Internet versus the mall for shopping can vary for different consumers and in different situations, even for the same consumer. Each of Holbrook's consumer value typologies is discussed as a specific type of value for mall and Internet shopping. By understanding fundamental differences in the consumer value experienced by mall and Internet shopping, the author argues that each retailer must implement strategies that will lead to consumers' enhanced shopping experience.

There follows a piece by Chris Howgego, acting managing director of Sybase UK Ltd who argues that retailers can maximise their competitiveness via their supply chain, and outlines some initiatives currently being adopted by Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer.

Adelina BroadbridgeUniversity of Stirling