Managing productivity and profitability in retailing has taken on a particular role since the onset of the recession of the late 1980s. Productivity can be improved simply by rationalising low performing stores, merchandise ranges and by reducing the number of suppliers and employees. However, this is not necessarily a long term solution. The purpose of this text is to propose a means by which a more proactive approach may be taken to improving both productivity and profitability. The book develops a model based upon management ratios typically used in retailing businesses for planning and control purposes. The model encourages the use of existing performance data to evaluate overall company productivity and profitability together with performance characteristics of individual functions. An additional feature of the approach is the facility to explore the impact of changes to the retail offer suggested by customer research responses. To facilitate the use of the concepts and the model used, a disk is also available, containing the application of the model to a number of the case studies and a facility for the user to input their own data.

Inhalt
Introduction - PART 1: EXPLORING CONCEPTS AND MODELS IN PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFITABILITY - Developments in Retailing and Retail Management - Productivity, Profitability and Performance: Introduction to Issues for Cash Flow and Productivity - Profitability and Productivity: Decision Areas - Managing the Margin Spread - Managing the Asset Base - Modelling Performance Options - Productivity and Profitability: Planning & Control - PART 2: PRODUCTIVITY & PROFITABILITY, PLANNING AND CONTROL: DECISION AND INFORMATION - Productivity and Profitability Decisions and Information Requirements - Productivity and Profitability Planning and Control: Decision Types - PART 3: APPLYING THE PRODUCTIVITY/PROFITABILITY MODEL: THREE CASE STUDIES - Doleys PLC - Kookaburra Holdings PLC - Floorwise PLC