ABSTRACT
The decisions concerning the ownership and operation of retail outlets give rise to three standard forms of retail organization under exclusive trademarks. These forms vary from industry to industry, from firm to firm within an industry, and even from outlet to outlet within a firm. Nevertheless, there is a remarkable regularity in the way that retail markets are organized that transcends industry and national boundaries. I describe each of these standard forms in turn with the caveat that not all arrangements that fall into one of these classes are exactly as described.
