Editorial

Citation

Fernie, J. (2007), "Editorial", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 35 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijrdm.2007.08935daa.001

Editorial

Our first two papers in this issue address concerns pertaining to small store retailers operating in the UK. Steve Wood and Sue Browne discuss the locational planning tools available to convenience store retailers. The context for the research is the drive by large food retailers to develop the convenience store market because site acquisition and development are less constrained by planning regulations. In their review of store forecasting techniques, they conclude that there is no single approach which is likely to provide a solution to forecasting convenience store locations and a “back to basics” approach of site visits in addition to quantitative approaches may be more appropriate for the convenience store sector. Ruth Schmidt and colleagues from Manchester Metropolitan University continue this theme of regulation and small retailers by discussing in more depth the compliance costs of implementing new legislation. Since, 1998, compliance with existing regulations in the UK is deemed to cost £30 billion to businesses in all sectors. This study which used a variety of data collection techniques shows that tax/NI and VAT, followed by a range of environmental legislation, impacts most on small retail businesses in rural market towns. Overall, relationships with trading standards and environmental health officers have added additional time and cost to the business.

The next two papers deal with HRM issues in retailing. Cathy Hart and colleagues from Loughborough University sought to identify the skills gaps associated with retail employees in UK retailing. A variety of techniques were deployed to gather data from retailers within the E. Midlands region, an area where skills levels were identified to be below the national average. The conclusions of the research are similar to work undertaken in the past in that the industry is not perceived in a positive light and this impacts on a retailer's ability to recruit and retain good staff. It is also clear that skills are poor in the sector and that there is a need for relevant work experience at schools or for better in-house training programmes within companies. The paper by Simon Booth and Kristian Hamer links to the Hart et al. manuscript in that it focuses on labour turnover within a major UK food retailer. The researchers had access to annual employee surveys undertaken by the company and their database included 130,000 employees working in stores throughout the UK. Using step-wise regression they show that the local labour market is the most significant factor influencing labour turnover followed by organisational factors such as company culture and values.

Our final paper is by Seung-Kuk Park and Prabir Baychi who determine the contribution of the bullwhip effect to impacts on order variability in supply chains. Using computer simulation models, they show that demand forecast updating, levels of echelons and price variations are the most significant causes of the bullwhip effect and that supply chain managers need to share actual demand information so that production and distribution activities can be properly co-ordinated.

John Fernie