ABSTRACT
Since the 1950s changes in methods of retailing in West Germany have been on such a scale that not only have they transformed the distributive sector of the economy, but have also exerted far-reaching influences on its spatial distribution. The new methodology has stemmed from a virtual revolution in retail technology and organisation. This was fostered by the interaction of several general economic and social trends, each helping to create new conditions and new directions of consumer demand. However, the relationships between consumer demand, retail technology and business response have never been completely freed from conservative influences. Paramount amongst these is the interventionist effect of public policy. Mainly through the introduction of new techniques of selling, developments in the organisational operation of retail firms have had a decisive influence on the structure and form of shopping in West Germany. The advent of supermarkets, followed in turn by the introduction of Verbrauchermarkte, greatly aggravated the problems accruing from changing consumer behaviour.
