1st Edition
Transformations of Retailing in Europe after 1945
After World War II, structures, practices and the culture of retailing in most West European countries went through a period of rapid change. The post-war economic boom, the emergence of a mass consumer society, and the adaptation of innovations which already had been implemented in the USA during the interwar period, revolutionized the world of getting and spending. But the implementation of self-service and the supermarket, the spread of the department store and the mail order business were not only elements of a transatlantic catch up process of 'Americanization' of retailing. National patterns of the retail trade and specific cultures of consumption remained crucial, and long term processes of change, starting in the 1920s or 1930s, also had an impact on the transformation of retailing in post-war Europe. This volume presents a series of case-studies looking at transformations of retailing in several European countries, offering new insights into the structural preconditions of the emerging mass consumer societies and also into the consequences consumerism had on the practices of retailing.
Biography
Ralph Jessen is Professor of Modern History and Lydia Langer was formerly a Research Fellow, both at the University of Cologne, Germany.
A Yankee Book Peddler UK Core Title for 2012 'Ralph Jessen and Lydia Langer have drawn together a collection of essays in this volume ... which collectively add to our knowledge of how self-service spread. ... This volume of essays will appeal to retail history specialists, in particular those with interests in postwar European (and particularly, but not only, German) developments.' Business History Review ’... una raccolta ricca di suggeÂstioni e stimoli, che è augurabile di veder ampiaÂmente discussa a livello internazionale.’ ['... a collection rich with suggestions and stimulating ideas, one which will hopefully be broadly discussed at international level.'] Ricerche di Storia Politica
