ABSTRACT
The inter-war period was a fruitful time for the development of rational methods of production, sales and advertising. Teaching courses, as well as specialised journals, manuals and associations, facilitated the spread of these new methods. The leading French business schools, as is well known, concentrated on management techniques and organising teams of sales representatives, but it is not so clear what sort of instruction was given to retail staff. New schools for sales personnel developed during the inter-war period within the general sphere of technical and commercial education which had, since the nineteenth century, involved many different types of institutions located mainly in the private sector. It is impossible, within the constraints of a short chapter, to discuss the majority of sales training institutions established in France in the inter-war period. The schools set up by the Paris Chamber of Commerce can serve as a pertinent example.
