Andrew Alexander
Biographic Data
| ID | 3718993 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Andrew Alexander |
| GIVEN NAMES | Andrew |
| FAMILY NAME | Alexander |
| SIGNATURE | ALEXANDER A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Surrey |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0523-9956 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 105 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1998 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
Convenience store retailing – The embedding of a new approach in the British retail landscape
Platform Business Groups and the Omni‐Channel Transformation of Food Retailing in China
In the past decade, China's food retail market has undergone significant restructuring driven by platform firms, enhancing omni‐channel capabilities across the sector, and bolstering the resilience of domestic retailers. These shifts have contributed to the exit of numerous international food retailers. Despite this transformation, there remains a lack of understanding regarding the economic geography of China's food retail market, especially in …
Conceptualising the co-evolution of China’s industrial and institutional environment for cross-border e-commerce
This paper conceptualises the industrial and institutional co-evolution of the Chinese import cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) industry, led by digital platform firms, over the decade 2012–2022. By drawing on empirical interview data and extensive secondary material from industry and government sources, and applying Gong and Hassink’s (2019a) framework of industrial-institutional co-evolution, we develop a three-phase conceptualisation to assess ho…
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Infants with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury and Associations with Abusive Head Trauma
Young children with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) have frequently been excluded from studies due to age and/or mechanism of injury. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now frequently being utilized to detect parenchymal injuries and early cerebral edema. We sought to assess MRI findings in infants with severe TBI, and to determine the association between specific MRI findings and mechanisms of injury, including abusive head trauma (AHT). MR…
Queuing as a Changing Shopper Experience: The Case of Grocery Shopping in Britain, 1945–1975
Queues are part of everyday routine and experienced by most shoppers, yet little attention has been given to providing historical accounts of queuing as a consumer task or as a shopper experience. This paper examines grocery shop queues and the changing experience of shoppers in historical perspective, specifically focusing upon the shift from counter-service to self-service grocery formats in Britain from 1945 to 1975. The paper draws upon a wid…
Cadbury and the rise of the supermarket: Innovation in marketing 1953–1975
This article uses company archival data, supported by evidence from the trade press, to examine the development of the manufacturer–retailer relationship in the case of Cadbury and the supermarket retailers distributing its products in the period 1953–1975. It reveals the influence upon Cadbury’s marketing strategies and practices of the increasing importance of supermarket retailing in relation to the confectionery as well as the grocery goods t…
Decision-making authority in British supermarket chains
This article analyses the authority of store managers for the stocking and merchandising of British supermarkets in the period between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s. Using oral history and business archive data, the article assesses the case of two broadly similar retail chains. It identifies variations between the firms in relation to the extent of centralised versus decentralised control at the start of the study period. It then shows how the…
Helping Yourself: Self-Service Grocery Retailing and Shoplifting in Britain, c . 1950–75
The period between 1950 and 1975 marked a dramatic shift in food retailing in Britain with the introduction of self-service stores and supermarkets. It also witnessed a significant rise in shoplifting, which many contemporary observers blamed on the introduction of self-service retailing. Using material from the retail trade press, newspaper reports, contemporary academic and marketing studies, and the publications of consumer associations, this …
Consumer Behaviour and the Life Course: Shopper Reactions to Self-Service Grocery Shops and Supermarkets in England c. 1947-75
We examine the development of self-service grocery shopping from a consumer perspective. Using qualitative data gathered through a nationwide biographical survey and oral histories, it was possible to go beyond contemporary market surveys which pay insufficient attention to shopping as a socially and culturally embedded practice. We use the conceptual framework of the life course to demonstrate how grocery shopping is a complex activity, in which…
The Co-Creation of a Retail Innovation: Shoppers and the Early Supermarket in Britain
In this paper we examine shoppers' reactions to the development of early supermarket retailing in post-war Britain. Positioning our discussion in relation to multi-disciplinary contributions on the role of consumers in innovation, we argue that more attention needs to be given to the shopper's input in the debate on retail innovation, including the supermarket. New oral history data drawn from a nationwide survey is presented in support of our ar…
Ethnicity and Consumption: South Asian food shopping patterns in Britain, 1947—75 1
This article reviews the literature that explores the relationship between ethnic identities and food consumption, with particular reference to business management studies. It focuses on the food shopping practices of south Asians in Britain in the period 1947 to 1975, to illustrate the need for more historically contextualized studies that can provide a more nuanced exploration of any interconnections between ethnic identity and shopping behavio…
Format development and retail change: Supermarket retailing and the London Co-operative Society
This article argues that students of retail history need to give more attention to the idea of the retail format. Employing a conceptualisation of the format recently presented in contemporary retail studies, it reveals the importance of so-called ‘offering’ and ‘know-how’ components to a fuller understanding of the development of the supermarket format in post-war Britain. Supermarket development is shown to be affected by, and itself impact on,…
British co-operative societies as retail innovators: Interpreting the early stages of the self-service revolution
This article examines the early stages of the self-service and supermarket innovations in post-war Britain. It does so in the context of co-operative retailers and in particular investigates both why such organizations were pre-eminent in the adoption of self-service as well as how they interpreted the innovation. These ideas are framed within a more general discussion of the ‘models’ of retail innovation and especially the notion of format innov…
Retail Innovation and Shopping Practices: Consumers' Reactions to Self-Service Retailing
In this paper we address the related issues of retail innovation, changing shopping practices, and shopping geographies. We do so in relation to the spread of self-service grocery stores, and particularly the supermarket, in the postwar retail environment of Britain (1950-70), arguing that this juncture provides a propitious opportunity to study the relationship between changing practices of retailing and consumption. We highlight shoppers' selec…
Negotiation, Trade and the Rituals of Encounter: An Examination of the Slave-Trading Voyage of De Zon , 1775–1776
The intention of this paper is to fill a gap in a rich yet underrepresented aspect of Indian Ocean slave history. I have elected to found this study on a close reading of a journal from a slave-trading vessel that sought slaves for the Cape in Madagascar in the mid-1770s. This vessel, De Zon , conducted a slave-trading operation on behalf of the VOC along the west coast of Madagascar from May 1775 to January 1776. I have undertaken a close readin…
Fair play for the small man’: Perspectives on the contribution of the independent shopkeeper 1930–c.1945
Detailed accounts of the social role of the independent shopkeeper rarely go beyond 1914. This article identifies a perception that his value in providing both a personal and community service endured beyond this date. Consultation of a variety of documentary sources from the 1930s and 1940s demonstrates that the independent shopkeeper remained an integral part of retailing and society in Britain in this period. More widely, the article contextua…
An Efficient Pursuit? Independent Shopkeeping in 1930s Britain
During the 1930s, the small-scale retailer was regarded by many commentators as being responsible for the apparent inefficiencies of the retail trade in Britain. Using a range of documentary evidence from the period, this article draws attention to debate on the merits of large- and small-scale retailers, highlighting a concern for the latter’s contribution to wider community well-being and to developments in retail trade practices. The relative …
Promoting Retail Innovation: Knowledge Flows during the Emergence of Self-Service and Supermarket Retailing in Britain
The notion of innovation underpins many studies of change within the literatures of retail management and the new retail geography. However, conceptualisation of the innovation process within retailing has remained surprisingly partial, with insufficient attention being given to the processes of knowledge management and learning within the firm. The authors illustrate the importance of such themes by reference to the key organisational and techno…
Selling Self-Service and the Supermarket: The Americanisation of Food Retailing in Britain, 1945–60
This article explores the early origins and growth of the supermarket in Britain. In doing so, it focuses on a number of themes, including the transfer of ideas of selling from America, and how such ideas were modified by the conditions operating in early post-war Britain. Within this context, emphasis is given to the role of individuals, commercial associations and the state in promoting the benefits of self-service. The research is based on a d…
The Evolving Culture of Retailer Regulation and the Failure of the 'Balfour Bill' in Interwar Britain
The authors explore the interactions between retailer conflict, types of competition, and retail regulation. Their study is set within the wider debates surrounding the attempts to retheorise retail geography, and, more specifically, in the context of retail competition within interwar Britain. The specific focus is on the attempts to control large-scale corporate retailing, and the failure of such strategies. The authors also draw on comparisons…
Structural and Spatial Trends in British Retailing: The Importance of Firm-Level Studies
This volume considers the emergence and development of modern retailing from an historical and management perspective in the period 1750-1950
Selling Self-Service and the Supermarket: The Americanisation of Food Retailing in Britain, 1945–60
This article explores the early origins and growth of the supermarket in Britain. In doing so, it focuses on a number of themes, including the transfer of ideas of selling from America, and how such ideas were modified by the conditions operating in early post-war Britain. Within this context, emphasis is given to the role of individuals, commercial associations and the state in promoting the benefits of self-service. The research is based on a d…
British co-operative societies as retail innovators: Interpreting the early stages of the self-service revolution
This article examines the early stages of the self-service and supermarket innovations in post-war Britain. It does so in the context of co-operative retailers and in particular investigates both why such organizations were pre-eminent in the adoption of self-service as well as how they interpreted the innovation. These ideas are framed within a more general discussion of the ‘models’ of retail innovation and especially the notion of format innov…
Ethnicity and Consumption: South Asian food shopping patterns in Britain, 1947—75 1
This article reviews the literature that explores the relationship between ethnic identities and food consumption, with particular reference to business management studies. It focuses on the food shopping practices of south Asians in Britain in the period 1947 to 1975, to illustrate the need for more historically contextualized studies that can provide a more nuanced exploration of any interconnections between ethnic identity and shopping behavio…
Format development and retail change: Supermarket retailing and the London Co-operative Society
This article argues that students of retail history need to give more attention to the idea of the retail format. Employing a conceptualisation of the format recently presented in contemporary retail studies, it reveals the importance of so-called ‘offering’ and ‘know-how’ components to a fuller understanding of the development of the supermarket format in post-war Britain. Supermarket development is shown to be affected by, and itself impact on,…
The Co-Creation of a Retail Innovation: Shoppers and the Early Supermarket in Britain
In this paper we examine shoppers' reactions to the development of early supermarket retailing in post-war Britain. Positioning our discussion in relation to multi-disciplinary contributions on the role of consumers in innovation, we argue that more attention needs to be given to the shopper's input in the debate on retail innovation, including the supermarket. New oral history data drawn from a nationwide survey is presented in support of our ar…
Promoting Retail Innovation: Knowledge Flows during the Emergence of Self-Service and Supermarket Retailing in Britain
The notion of innovation underpins many studies of change within the literatures of retail management and the new retail geography. However, conceptualisation of the innovation process within retailing has remained surprisingly partial, with insufficient attention being given to the processes of knowledge management and learning within the firm. The authors illustrate the importance of such themes by reference to the key organisational and techno…
The Evolving Culture of Retailer Regulation and the Failure of the 'Balfour Bill' in Interwar Britain
The authors explore the interactions between retailer conflict, types of competition, and retail regulation. Their study is set within the wider debates surrounding the attempts to retheorise retail geography, and, more specifically, in the context of retail competition within interwar Britain. The specific focus is on the attempts to control large-scale corporate retailing, and the failure of such strategies. The authors also draw on comparisons…
Structural and Spatial Trends in British Retailing: The Importance of Firm-Level Studies
This volume considers the emergence and development of modern retailing from an historical and management perspective in the period 1750-1950
Decision-making authority in British supermarket chains
This article analyses the authority of store managers for the stocking and merchandising of British supermarkets in the period between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s. Using oral history and business archive data, the article assesses the case of two broadly similar retail chains. It identifies variations between the firms in relation to the extent of centralised versus decentralised control at the start of the study period. It then shows how the…
Retail Innovation and Shopping Practices: Consumers' Reactions to Self-Service Retailing
In this paper we address the related issues of retail innovation, changing shopping practices, and shopping geographies. We do so in relation to the spread of self-service grocery stores, and particularly the supermarket, in the postwar retail environment of Britain (1950-70), arguing that this juncture provides a propitious opportunity to study the relationship between changing practices of retailing and consumption. We highlight shoppers' selec…
Cadbury and the rise of the supermarket: Innovation in marketing 1953–1975
This article uses company archival data, supported by evidence from the trade press, to examine the development of the manufacturer–retailer relationship in the case of Cadbury and the supermarket retailers distributing its products in the period 1953–1975. It reveals the influence upon Cadbury’s marketing strategies and practices of the increasing importance of supermarket retailing in relation to the confectionery as well as the grocery goods t…
Consumer Behaviour and the Life Course: Shopper Reactions to Self-Service Grocery Shops and Supermarkets in England c. 1947-75
We examine the development of self-service grocery shopping from a consumer perspective. Using qualitative data gathered through a nationwide biographical survey and oral histories, it was possible to go beyond contemporary market surveys which pay insufficient attention to shopping as a socially and culturally embedded practice. We use the conceptual framework of the life course to demonstrate how grocery shopping is a complex activity, in which…
Fair play for the small man’: Perspectives on the contribution of the independent shopkeeper 1930–c.1945
Detailed accounts of the social role of the independent shopkeeper rarely go beyond 1914. This article identifies a perception that his value in providing both a personal and community service endured beyond this date. Consultation of a variety of documentary sources from the 1930s and 1940s demonstrates that the independent shopkeeper remained an integral part of retailing and society in Britain in this period. More widely, the article contextua…
Conceptualising the co-evolution of China’s industrial and institutional environment for cross-border e-commerce
This paper conceptualises the industrial and institutional co-evolution of the Chinese import cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) industry, led by digital platform firms, over the decade 2012–2022. By drawing on empirical interview data and extensive secondary material from industry and government sources, and applying Gong and Hassink’s (2019a) framework of industrial-institutional co-evolution, we develop a three-phase conceptualisation to assess ho…
Queuing as a Changing Shopper Experience: The Case of Grocery Shopping in Britain, 1945–1975
Queues are part of everyday routine and experienced by most shoppers, yet little attention has been given to providing historical accounts of queuing as a consumer task or as a shopper experience. This paper examines grocery shop queues and the changing experience of shoppers in historical perspective, specifically focusing upon the shift from counter-service to self-service grocery formats in Britain from 1945 to 1975. The paper draws upon a wid…
Negotiation, Trade and the Rituals of Encounter: An Examination of the Slave-Trading Voyage of De Zon , 1775–1776
The intention of this paper is to fill a gap in a rich yet underrepresented aspect of Indian Ocean slave history. I have elected to found this study on a close reading of a journal from a slave-trading vessel that sought slaves for the Cape in Madagascar in the mid-1770s. This vessel, De Zon , conducted a slave-trading operation on behalf of the VOC along the west coast of Madagascar from May 1775 to January 1776. I have undertaken a close readin…
An Efficient Pursuit? Independent Shopkeeping in 1930s Britain
During the 1930s, the small-scale retailer was regarded by many commentators as being responsible for the apparent inefficiencies of the retail trade in Britain. Using a range of documentary evidence from the period, this article draws attention to debate on the merits of large- and small-scale retailers, highlighting a concern for the latter’s contribution to wider community well-being and to developments in retail trade practices. The relative …
Structural and Spatial Trends in British Retailing: The Importance of Firm-Level Studies
This volume considers the emergence and development of modern retailing from an historical and management perspective in the period 1750-1950
The Evolving Culture of Retailer Regulation and the Failure of the 'Balfour Bill' in Interwar Britain
The authors explore the interactions between retailer conflict, types of competition, and retail regulation. Their study is set within the wider debates surrounding the attempts to retheorise retail geography, and, more specifically, in the context of retail competition within interwar Britain. The specific focus is on the attempts to control large-scale corporate retailing, and the failure of such strategies. The authors also draw on comparisons…
Selling Self-Service and the Supermarket: The Americanisation of Food Retailing in Britain, 1945–60
This article explores the early origins and growth of the supermarket in Britain. In doing so, it focuses on a number of themes, including the transfer of ideas of selling from America, and how such ideas were modified by the conditions operating in early post-war Britain. Within this context, emphasis is given to the role of individuals, commercial associations and the state in promoting the benefits of self-service. The research is based on a d…
An Efficient Pursuit? Independent Shopkeeping in 1930s Britain
During the 1930s, the small-scale retailer was regarded by many commentators as being responsible for the apparent inefficiencies of the retail trade in Britain. Using a range of documentary evidence from the period, this article draws attention to debate on the merits of large- and small-scale retailers, highlighting a concern for the latter’s contribution to wider community well-being and to developments in retail trade practices. The relative …
Promoting Retail Innovation: Knowledge Flows during the Emergence of Self-Service and Supermarket Retailing in Britain
The notion of innovation underpins many studies of change within the literatures of retail management and the new retail geography. However, conceptualisation of the innovation process within retailing has remained surprisingly partial, with insufficient attention being given to the processes of knowledge management and learning within the firm. The authors illustrate the importance of such themes by reference to the key organisational and techno…
Fair play for the small man’: Perspectives on the contribution of the independent shopkeeper 1930–c.1945
Detailed accounts of the social role of the independent shopkeeper rarely go beyond 1914. This article identifies a perception that his value in providing both a personal and community service endured beyond this date. Consultation of a variety of documentary sources from the 1930s and 1940s demonstrates that the independent shopkeeper remained an integral part of retailing and society in Britain in this period. More widely, the article contextua…
Negotiation, Trade and the Rituals of Encounter: An Examination of the Slave-Trading Voyage of De Zon , 1775–1776
The intention of this paper is to fill a gap in a rich yet underrepresented aspect of Indian Ocean slave history. I have elected to found this study on a close reading of a journal from a slave-trading vessel that sought slaves for the Cape in Madagascar in the mid-1770s. This vessel, De Zon , conducted a slave-trading operation on behalf of the VOC along the west coast of Madagascar from May 1775 to January 1776. I have undertaken a close readin…
Ethnicity and Consumption: South Asian food shopping patterns in Britain, 1947—75 1
This article reviews the literature that explores the relationship between ethnic identities and food consumption, with particular reference to business management studies. It focuses on the food shopping practices of south Asians in Britain in the period 1947 to 1975, to illustrate the need for more historically contextualized studies that can provide a more nuanced exploration of any interconnections between ethnic identity and shopping behavio…
Format development and retail change: Supermarket retailing and the London Co-operative Society
This article argues that students of retail history need to give more attention to the idea of the retail format. Employing a conceptualisation of the format recently presented in contemporary retail studies, it reveals the importance of so-called ‘offering’ and ‘know-how’ components to a fuller understanding of the development of the supermarket format in post-war Britain. Supermarket development is shown to be affected by, and itself impact on,…
British co-operative societies as retail innovators: Interpreting the early stages of the self-service revolution
This article examines the early stages of the self-service and supermarket innovations in post-war Britain. It does so in the context of co-operative retailers and in particular investigates both why such organizations were pre-eminent in the adoption of self-service as well as how they interpreted the innovation. These ideas are framed within a more general discussion of the ‘models’ of retail innovation and especially the notion of format innov…
Retail Innovation and Shopping Practices: Consumers' Reactions to Self-Service Retailing
In this paper we address the related issues of retail innovation, changing shopping practices, and shopping geographies. We do so in relation to the spread of self-service grocery stores, and particularly the supermarket, in the postwar retail environment of Britain (1950-70), arguing that this juncture provides a propitious opportunity to study the relationship between changing practices of retailing and consumption. We highlight shoppers' selec…
The Co-Creation of a Retail Innovation: Shoppers and the Early Supermarket in Britain
In this paper we examine shoppers' reactions to the development of early supermarket retailing in post-war Britain. Positioning our discussion in relation to multi-disciplinary contributions on the role of consumers in innovation, we argue that more attention needs to be given to the shopper's input in the debate on retail innovation, including the supermarket. New oral history data drawn from a nationwide survey is presented in support of our ar…
Consumer Behaviour and the Life Course: Shopper Reactions to Self-Service Grocery Shops and Supermarkets in England c. 1947-75
We examine the development of self-service grocery shopping from a consumer perspective. Using qualitative data gathered through a nationwide biographical survey and oral histories, it was possible to go beyond contemporary market surveys which pay insufficient attention to shopping as a socially and culturally embedded practice. We use the conceptual framework of the life course to demonstrate how grocery shopping is a complex activity, in which…
Helping Yourself: Self-Service Grocery Retailing and Shoplifting in Britain, c . 1950–75
The period between 1950 and 1975 marked a dramatic shift in food retailing in Britain with the introduction of self-service stores and supermarkets. It also witnessed a significant rise in shoplifting, which many contemporary observers blamed on the introduction of self-service retailing. Using material from the retail trade press, newspaper reports, contemporary academic and marketing studies, and the publications of consumer associations, this …
Decision-making authority in British supermarket chains
This article analyses the authority of store managers for the stocking and merchandising of British supermarkets in the period between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s. Using oral history and business archive data, the article assesses the case of two broadly similar retail chains. It identifies variations between the firms in relation to the extent of centralised versus decentralised control at the start of the study period. It then shows how the…
Queuing as a Changing Shopper Experience: The Case of Grocery Shopping in Britain, 1945–1975
Queues are part of everyday routine and experienced by most shoppers, yet little attention has been given to providing historical accounts of queuing as a consumer task or as a shopper experience. This paper examines grocery shop queues and the changing experience of shoppers in historical perspective, specifically focusing upon the shift from counter-service to self-service grocery formats in Britain from 1945 to 1975. The paper draws upon a wid…
Cadbury and the rise of the supermarket: Innovation in marketing 1953–1975
This article uses company archival data, supported by evidence from the trade press, to examine the development of the manufacturer–retailer relationship in the case of Cadbury and the supermarket retailers distributing its products in the period 1953–1975. It reveals the influence upon Cadbury’s marketing strategies and practices of the increasing importance of supermarket retailing in relation to the confectionery as well as the grocery goods t…
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Infants with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury and Associations with Abusive Head Trauma
Young children with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) have frequently been excluded from studies due to age and/or mechanism of injury. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now frequently being utilized to detect parenchymal injuries and early cerebral edema. We sought to assess MRI findings in infants with severe TBI, and to determine the association between specific MRI findings and mechanisms of injury, including abusive head trauma (AHT). MR…
Conceptualising the co-evolution of China’s industrial and institutional environment for cross-border e-commerce
This paper conceptualises the industrial and institutional co-evolution of the Chinese import cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) industry, led by digital platform firms, over the decade 2012–2022. By drawing on empirical interview data and extensive secondary material from industry and government sources, and applying Gong and Hassink’s (2019a) framework of industrial-institutional co-evolution, we develop a three-phase conceptualisation to assess ho…
Platform Business Groups and the Omni‐Channel Transformation of Food Retailing in China
In the past decade, China's food retail market has undergone significant restructuring driven by platform firms, enhancing omni‐channel capabilities across the sector, and bolstering the resilience of domestic retailers. These shifts have contributed to the exit of numerous international food retailers. Despite this transformation, there remains a lack of understanding regarding the economic geography of China's food retail market, especially in …
Convenience store retailing – The embedding of a new approach in the British retail landscape
Business (14 works) · Marketing (11 works) · Economics (10 works) · Political science (9 works) · Advertising (7 works) · Consumer Retail Behavior Studies (7 works) · Computer Science (6 works) · Law (6 works) · Law (6 works) · Sociology (6 works)