Despite its great size and importance within the economy, the retail sector is controlled by a relatively small number of retail chains, shopping centre developers and government agencies. At the same time retail activities and commercial services are a significant and visible part of our social system - they both reflect and shape our preferences, lifestyle and more. We are what we consume, and our comsumption priorities describe our society; but these preferences are mediated through the actions of such institutions and organizations as the chains, shopping plazas and urban planners, acting either jointly or in competition. This book describes and explains retailing with a particular emphasis on the problem of store location and on the spatial supply side.