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Building on a previous study of retail change the impact of the German unification on retail pharmacies is conceptualized in terms of the interaction between changes in system and life world with the retail pharmacist located at the interface between the two realms. A series of key informant interviews with retail pharmacists located in Berlin and Brandenburg forms the basis for grounded theory building. Differences between the previous system and the current status quo are examined and a tentative typology of eastern pharmacies posited.

Based on an interview with a senior manager at Joshua Tetley & Son Ltd about the changing role of the business development manager. Summarizes the changes in the brewery industry following a report of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in 1989 which reduced the number of public houses a brewery could own and aimed at introducing competitive forces into the brewery industry. Considers how Allied Breweries Ltd reacted to the report with reference to the area managers whose jobs have been repositioned as business development managers and whose objectives are to sell the brewery′s products by offering a parcel of benefits.

Gives a resume of the Benetton operation, describing how 80 per cent of Benetton retailing is franchised with the majority taking place outside Italy. Studies, in depth, the experience of one franchisee in Burnley, Lancashire, by financial analysis and a survey of customers purchasing in the store. Results show that the Benetton message is getting across to consumers; brand is associated with colour, style and fashion for which premium prices are deemed acceptable. However, while the franchiser continues to retain tight control over product range, the sales period provides the only opportunity for the franchisee to improve stock and cash control and, ultimately, to survive.

Located as intermediaries between patients/customers and national health systems, community pharmacies have to negotiate increasing government demands for free advice, pressure on their earnings and an increasingly deregulated market. A comparative assessment of the German and UK markets highlights the tensions pharmacists face as healthcare providers and retailers, assessing the ways in which each group copes with growing competitive challenges. Based on a grounded theory study of community pharmacies in Berlin/Brandenburg and the Greater Manchester area the role of pharmacies within their local neighbourhoods is discussed and the potential for the transfer of marketing intelligence between the two countries evaluated.

Credit is usually regarded as a minor determinant of customer patronage although it may clinch deals when other components of the marketing mix appear equally attractive. The role and determinants of trade credit policy in general are examined before focusing on the credit decision in international trade. Data from a sample of UK and West German exporters indicate that, while the role of credit is subordinate to most other components of the marketing package, it does attract particularly high ratings from UK exporters. Generally, UK firms are more likely to pursue an active and differentiated credit policy, and international differences in credit policy are more pronounced than inter‐industry differences.

As providers of emergency medication, expert advice and specialist healthcare services, retail pharmacies are central to their neighbourhoods. Traditionally, recognition of this vital contribution to the community has been reflected in special protective measures at the macro level, making the pharmacy sector one of the most highly regulated within the UK retail industry. However, recent deregulation measures in relation to all aspects of the services marketing mix, namely products, price, place, promotion, physical evidence, people and processes, have made for a dynamic competitive climate with increasing pressures on the livelihood of small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises. Strategies for success are discussed.

Through an exploratory study, based on interviews with retail franchisees and franchisers belonging to the British Franchise Association, the operational nature of the relationship between franchisee and franchiser is explored. The views of franchisees and franchisers on the nature and level of their respective responsibilities throughout the relationship are sought, and differences in perceptions are pinpointed. The early findings suggest that, whilst apparently a franchise is an opportunity for a new entrant with no previous business experience, the whole process from vetting and training, through to trading, is in fact based on the assumption that the entrant is familiar with general business practice.

Based on observations made during a field visit to Poland in July/August 1990, the current changes taking place in the Polish retail scene are explored, both by sector and in terms of the marketing mix. The major issues facing potential entrants – domestic, as well as foreign – into the newly emerging private Polish retail sector, are placed into the historical and political context. Recommendations are made for a possible direction the management of the changes could take. In this the importance of developing staff attitudes and expertise is emphasised: Polish. retailing success must build on the empowerment of native Polish retail managers.

Presents a study of designated gay service environments. Conceptually, the study draws together ideas and frameworks from the consumption literature and from the study of service environments. Analyses issues surrounding gay cultural socialization and its effect on consumption patterns and expression through service environments. The study of the interplay between gay subculture and servicescapes is grounded in qualitative and observational data through field work conducted in the Manchester “gay village”. Findings indicate that communitas, individualism and diversity are key facets of the subculture, with bars being used as individual expressions of identity, moods and emotions. Other influences on consumption patterns include interpersonal interaction with friends, the hetero‐ and homosexual cultural interface, and the ambience of the service environment. Discusses implications for the service marketer, such as the application of marketing models to the creation of servicescapes which reflect and suit the subcultures they are designed for; and raises issues for marketing methodology by noting the value of consumption‐based research in creating a picture of the “gay” lifestyle.

At the time of the imminent implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995, Part III, this paper aims to raise awareness both amongst retail and marketing academics and practitioners of the opportunities and potential marketing benefits inherent in the implementation of the Act.

A review of the UK disabled sector and the implications of DDA Stage III for retailers and service marketers is combined with an observational case study of shopping facilities for the mobility impaired shopper in a Manchester city centre and out‐of‐town location, complemented by interviews with Shopmobility representatives.

Findings provide an observational insight into the status quo of the implementation of the Act. Questions are raised concerning potential retailer responses on a continuum between mere compliance and enthusiastic commitment to the enhancement of servicescapes to the benefit of all. The role of different stakeholders and the potential contribution to location marketing are discussed.

Insights are based on systematically gathered observational data representing one person's experience at one point in time and in a specific location, validated via key informant interviews with two representatives of Shopmobility services. They can therefore be seen as exploratory only. Furthermore the focus is on mobility impairment, which is only one of a wide range of disabilities.

Implications for marketers include the need to move away from treating this market as separate from the mainstream and realize opportunities for enhancing servicescapes and retail offerings in ways which would benefit the wider population as well.

Through its qualitative case study approach the paper represents a rich snapshot of the retail offering in two Manchester locations on the eve of the implementation of DDA Part III, as seen from the point of view of a scooter based shopper.