Abstract:

This paper examines the changes that have occurred in retailing formats and shopping environments in the last 100 years and highlights the increasing acceleration of that change. It considers the demographic factors in the UK which have impacted these changes and suggests how they will continue to do so. A major result of these changes has been the movement to tighter customer targeting and segmentation of the product offer and the development of specialty stores. In the future, it is argued, lifestyle factors may become even more important than socioeconomic factors with new values dictating the segmentation directions of the 21st century.