This document is a summary of research I conducted on the many components of retail's evolution. I think you find that it is more comprehensive and insightful than most.

1. Retail Timeline
Demographics, Technologies & Milestones
1670 - 2015

2. 2
History of Retail
1786 1792 1834 18721865 1876 1883 1888
Paris:
Galleries de Bois
was first “mall”
with 120 stores.
150 malls by
1850 in Paris
London:
WH Smith
newsstand
1670
Canada:
Hudson
Bay
Company
(Fur
trading
only);
First
“major”
retailer in
NA by
1870
London:
Harrod’s
Milan:
Galleria Vittorio
Emanuele II
(oldest mall)
1850
Montgomery
Ward:
First mail
order catalog.
(Sears starts
small in 1886)
Phone
invented
Wanamaker's:
First Dept Store in USA:
1st price tags
1st in-store diner
1st Phone ‘79
1st Electric lights ’78
1st Pneumatic tubes ‘80
Cash
Register
Invented -
USA
Coupons:
Invented by
Coke
Trademarks:
First “modern” laws
(France)
1857 ~1900
Brands:
Coke
Campbell's
Juicey Fruit
Aunt Jamima
Quaker Oats
Uncle Ben’s
Kellogg’s
1859
A&P:
Started as
Gillman Tea Co.;
Branded Tea ’70
1st Premiums ‘71
1st Stamps ’77
100 stores: ’81
Factories ’85
London:
(Harry Gordon)
Selfridge: opens store
with new concept:
Shop for pleasure;
1st to have a public
bathroom.
19061905
SMB begins to
fight back:
Massachusetts.
Becomes 1st to
tax chain store
coupons.
1908
A&P:
Builds
production
outside tea
Containers:
Production
canning &
cardboard
boxes
American
Civil War:
‘61-’65
London:
First dept stores -
Bainbridge; Kendal,
Milne & Co.,
~1910
USA:
Chains stores
begin to
standardize,
drop delivery
& credit to
reduce costs.

3. History of Retail
3
1912 1914 1915 19251924 1926 1927 19281911 1916 19291920 1932 1933 ~1940
Woolworths:
Merger of 6 dime
stores gives them
600 stores in 48
states
~250 chain brands
in USA
A&P:
1817 stores;
Experiments with
simple “Economy”
format: “Everyday
Low Price”;
600 sqft
FTC is created:
Focus on big business
A&P:
1000 “Economy” Format stores.
50% of sales.
Now nation’s largest retailer.
Begin demanding direct shipments
w/wholesaler royalties.
WWI:
1914-1918
17% inflation for food prices
Piggly Wiggly:
First self serve
grocery
A&P:
Largest retailer in world
4,588 stores
Atlantic Commission Company:
A&P created wholesale company for
fresh goods dramatically increasing
access by reducing time to market
Cellophane invented:
Transforms perishable
display & sales
Sears & Montgomery
Ward:
Begin move to Brick &
Mortar.
A&P:
13,400 stores
Move to decentralized mgt
New “big data” collection
A&P:
Move into “meat” business;
FTC investigates.
Also crowding out tobacco
retailers.
A&P:
$1B Rev; 16k stores
Ad allowances =25%
pretax profits
Commercial
Refrigeration
1922
1930
Great Depression: 1929-1939
Big Bear Market:
50k sqft mega discount
market opens (big box)
National Recovery Act:
Min mark-up rules
Store hrs rules
Unionization
(Killed in ’35)
FDA Builds
Strength:
New bill expands
powers
1938
Pre-depression:
Radio becomes common
1st yr refrigerators outsell iceboxes;
1st 10k sq ft supermarket “King
Cullen’s”
1930’s:
Cars become
common;
‘37 Shopping cart
(Piggly Wiggly);
Stores explode in size
to avoid per-store
taxes; self-serve takes
over.
Sears:
Stores sales top
catalog sales

4. Retail History
4
1912 1945 19571940 1970 1979
WWII:
1939-1945
Rationing
US Antitrust Investigations
Heavy pressure begins in ’41-’53
A&P:
4th largest US
company
Queen Elizabeth :
Insists on visiting a “supermarket”
When visiting USA
A&P:
4,351 stores.
Average supermarket (all
brands) was 15k sqft
1961 1965
Sears:
Overtakes A&P as
largest retailer.
1962
Big Boom:
Walmart
Target
K-Mart
Rite-Aid
Kohl’s
Free Markets Return
Most punitive chain
regulations/taxes gone
EAS systems become common
A&P:
Sells for $190M
1954
Mall Tax (incentive):
Policies encouraged
development of large
shopping centers.
‘56 saw first enclosed
and air conditioned
mall in MN.
1989
Walmart:
Overtakes Sears &
Kmart as largest retailer.
1959
First ATM
Ohio mall
1958
Batley’s:
First
“warehouse”
store.
Credit Cards:
Birth of Credit
Planograms :
Invented by Kmart in
early ‘70’s.
(Target used by ‘74)
Barcodes: ‘74
Cable TV:
80’s network boom
leads to 57% of
households
subscribing
by1990.
1990
Debit
Cards
1st issued
1966

5. 1900
- High service
solution sales
- Daily
purchases
- Social
Networking
- People trust
retailers
- Big data in
head of retailers
- TV and national brands
reduce need to rely on
retailer.
- People place trust in
brands.
- “Supermarkets” created to
provide efficient logistics.
- Growth from population
boom.
- Customer  Consumer
- Trade $ rules
- Stores grow in
size
- Differentiation lost
- Population growth
stalls
- Loyalty programs
begin to provide
revenue source.
Development Saturation
- Consolidation &
globalization
are only paths
to growth.
- Alternatives
appear.
- Sales/sq ft
decline 17%
DeclineTraditional
- Music/Books die
- Big Box go
online
- Showrooming
- Price / selection
advantages
begin to wane
Multi-Channel
- Online expands
distribution &
fast delivery
- Stores go
curbside
- Stores get
smaller
- Differentiate through
personalization
- Consumer  Customer
- “Solution” sales return
Channels Blend
Barcodes
begin data
revolution
‘74
1945 1975 1990 20001955 1965 1985 1995 2005 2010 2015
Home
refrigeration,
cellophane
and
automobiles
becomes
common
~’30
Discount
“Big Box”
Target
Walmart
K-mart
RiteAid
Kohl’s
‘62
Specialty
The Limited ‘63
GAP ‘69
eCommerce
Amazon
eBay
‘94-’95
Category
Killers
Staples
OfficeMax
HomeDepot
’78-’88
Club Stores
Costco
Sam’s
‘83
Television
becomes
common
~’50
Radio
becomes
common
A&P
has 16k
stores
’30
Internet
becomes
common:
>50%
Mobile
Rapid
adoption
begins
’09
Android ’07
iPhone ’09
Social
Facebook
Twitter
‘04-’06
Cloud &
Analytics
Logistics
Focus
Internet
becomes
available
‘93
Malls
become
common
~’60’s
2020
Catalogs
become
common
~1890
Loyalty
Program
growth
‘85-’95
Web 3.0
Mobile Pay
Google ‘11
Apple ‘14
Android ’15
CurrentC ’16
Amazon
Opens First
Bookstore
‘15

6. - Local products
and weak
brands require
trust in retailer.
- Products must
be “sold” to
retailers so
logistics is
cumbersome.
- Brand strength means
consumers are
demanding specific
products.
- Birth of radio/tv feed
branding
- Stores standardize to
increase efficiency… but
lose differentiation of
store and products.
- CPG’s become
the focus due to
trade dollars.
- Differentiation
takes the form
of increased
selection.
- Stores diversify
to find products
with margins.
Development Saturation
- The majors
eliminate the
locals.
- Time crunch
and working
moms give
rise to fast
food
(alternatives).
DeclineTraditional
- Stores
scramble to
build websites
but fail to link
POS and
inventory well.
- Mobile returns
power to
consumers.
Multi-Channel
- Online build more
distribution & even
stores.
- Stores get good at
online.
- Price & Selection
equalize.
- Differentiation comes
though service and
convenience.
Channels Blend
Barcodes
begin data
revolution
‘74
1900 1945 1975 1990 20001955 1965 1985 1995 2005 2010 2015
Home
refrigeration,
cellophane
and
automobiles
becomes
common
~’30
Discount
“Big Box”
Target
Walmart
K-mart
RiteAid
Kohl’s
‘62
Specialty
The Limited ‘63
GAP ‘69
eCommerce
Amazon
eBay
‘94-’95
Category
Killers
Staples
OfficeMax
HomeDepot
’78-’88
Club Stores
Costco
Sam’s
‘83
Television
becomes
common
~’50
Radio
becomes
common
A&P
has 16k
stores
’30
Internet
becomes
common:
>50%
Mobile
Rapid
adoption
begins
’09
Android ’07
iPhone ’09
Social
Facebook
Twitter
‘04-’06
Cloud &
Analytics
Logistics
Focus
Internet
becomes
available
‘93
Malls
become
common
~’60’s
2020
Catalogs
become
common
~1890
Loyalty
Program
growth
‘85-’95
Web 3.0
Mobile Pay
Google ‘11
Apple ‘14
Android ’15
CurrentC ’16
Amazon
Opens First
Bookstore
‘15

7. 7
- Fuels creation of largely
humongous demographic
- Prime spending years
- Population growth fueled
retail
Baby Boom
- Immigration restrictions on
countries outside western
Europe in mid 1960’s.
- Social norms dilute the
“traditional American family”
- Growth slows by end of
century.
Demographics
Shift - Major Networks
displaced by cable &
satellite
- Birth of web further
dilutes media power
- Web 2.0 introduces
stronger influence than
traditional media.
Stratification of Media
- Average performers
displaced by exceptional
performers via
specialization
- “Average consumer” no
longer targetable
- High Service returns
- “Highly automated”
becomes alternative
prevailing value prop.
“Average” dies
- Stores know
customers.
- Products &
Service highly
localized.
High Service
Retail
Barcodes
begin data
revolution
‘74
1945 1975 1990 20001955 1965 1985 1995 2005 2010 2015
Home
refrigeration,
cellophane
and
automobiles
becomes
common
~’30
Discount
“Big Box”
Target
Walmart
K-mart
RiteAid
Kohl’s
‘62
Specialty
The Limited ‘63
GAP ‘69
eCommerce
Amazon
eBay
‘94-’95
Category
Killers
Staples
OfficeMax
HomeDepot
’78-’88
Club Stores
Costco
Sam’s
‘83
Television
becomes
common
~’50
Radio
becomes
common
A&P
has 16k
stores
’30
Internet
becomes
common:
>50%
Mobile
Rapid
adoption
begins
’09
Android ’07
iPhone ’09
Social
Facebook
Twitter
‘04-’06
Cloud &
Analytics
Logistics
Focus
Internet
becomes
available
‘93
Malls
become
common
~’60’s
2020
Catalogs
become
common
~1890
Loyalty
Program
growth
‘85-’95
Web 3.0
1900
Mobile Pay
Google ‘11
Apple ‘14
Android ’15
CurrentC ’16
Amazon
Opens First
Bookstore
‘15