Retail is the process of selling consumer goods or services to customers through multiple channels of

distribution to earn a profit. Retailers satisfy demand identified through a supply chain. Shopping generally refers

to the act of buying products. Sometimes this is done to obtain final goods, including necessities such as food and
clothing; sometimes it takes place as a recreational activity.

RETAILING by product
Retail stores may be classified by the type of product carried:

Food retailers
Retailers carrying highly perishable foodstuffs such as meat, dairy and fresh produce typically require cold storage
facilities..
Softline retailers
Softline retailers sell goods that are consumed after a single use, or have a limited life (typically under three years)
in they are normally consumed.
Hardline retailers
Retailers selling consumer durables are sometimes known as hardline retailers

Specialist retailers
Specialist retailers operate in many industries such as the arts e.g. green grocers, contemporary art
galleries, bookstores, handicrafts, musical instruments, gift shops.
RETAILING by product type

 Furniture and homewares retailers are said to be hardline retailers. Pictured Furniture retailer in Hong Kong

Food retailer
Stores that sell consumables are known as Softline retailers

Stores that sell a mix of perishable and consumable goods to cater for household needs are known as grocery stores

RETAILING by marketing strategy

Types of retail outlets (retail shops, retail stores) by marketing strategy include:
Arcade
A shopping arcade refers to a group of retail outlets operating under a covered walkway. Arcades are similar to
shopping malls, although they typically comprise a smaller number of outlets.
Bazaar
The term, 'bazaar' can have multiple meanings. It may refer to a Middle-Eastern market place while a 'penny
bazaar' refers to a retail outlet that specializes in inexpensive or discounted merchandise.

Boutique
A Boutique is a small store offering a select range of fashionable goods or accessories.
Chain store
Chain store is one of a series of stores owned by the same company and selling the same or similar merchandise.
Concept store
Concept stores are similar to speciality stores in that they are very small in size, and only stock a limited range of
brands or a single brand.
Co-operative store
A co-operative store; also known as a co-op or coop, is a venture owned and operated by consumers to meet their
social, economic and cultural needs.
Convenience store
A convenience store provides limited amount of merchandise at above average prices with a speedy checkout.
This store is ideal for emergency and immediate purchase.
Department store
Department stores are very large stores offering an extensive assortment of both "soft" and "hard" goods which
often bear a resemblance to a collection of specialty stores.
Demographic
Retailers that aim at one particular segment
 General store
A general store is a store that supplies the main needs of the local community and is often located in outback or
rural areas with low population densities.
Give-away shop
As the name implies, a give-away shop provides goods for free. There are several different models of give-away
shop in popular use. One is where goods are free to any shopper; an alternative is that shoppers must provide a
product before they can take a product
Hawkers
Hawkers also known as a peddlers, costermongers or street vendors; refer to a vendor of merchandise that is
readily portable.

Hypermarkets
A hypermarket (also known as hypermart) provides variety and huge volumes of exclusive merchandise at low
margins. The operating cost is comparatively less than other retail formats;
Mall
A mall has a range of retail shops at a single building or outlet, arranged on a single level or multiple levels.
Mom-and-pop store
A small retail outlet owned and operated by an individual or family. Focuses on a relatively limited and selective
set of products.

Pop-up retail store

A Pop-up retail store is a temporary retail space that opens for a short period of time, possibly opening to sell a
specific run of merchandise or for a special occasion or holiday period
Retail marketplace
A Marketplace is defined as venue for the retail sales of all products, packed and unpacked where the sale is to end
users.
Supermarket
A supermarket is a self-service store consisting mainly of grocery and limited products on non-food items.
Variety store
Variety stores offer extremely low-cost goods, with a vast array of selection. The downfall to this is that the items
are not very high quality.

A vending machine is an automated piece of equipment wherein customers can drop the money in the machine
which dispenses the customer's selection. The vending machine is a pure self-service option.

Warehouse store
are retailers housed in warehouses, and offer low-cost, often high-quantity goods with minimal services, e.g. goods are piled
on pallets or steel shelves.