THE RETAIL DISTRIBUTIVE TRADES IN SCOTLAND

Date01 February 1956
DOIhttp://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9485.1956.tb00806.x
AuthorW. R. MATHESON
Published date01 February 1956
THE
RETAIL DISTRIBUTIVE TRADES IN
SCOTLAND
I
LITTLE
statistical information
of
any kind about the structure
of
retail
distribution in Scotland was available until the
Reports
of the
Census
of Distribution
(1950)
began to appear in
1952.'
Earlier studies
published in the United KingdomZ relate either to England
or
to
Britain as a whole. The Census was taken by the Board
of
Trade
in
1951
in respect of the year
1950,
and two comprehensive volumes
covering the retail and service trades have been issued. The
fullest
information
so
far published relates to Great Britain, but a certain
amount
is
available for Scotland and this forms the principal source
of
material for the present paper.
I1
THE
NUMBER
OF
SHOPS
The Census
of
Distribution records the number of shops in terms
of
'
establishments
'
;
an establishment is defined as
'
a separate place
of business engaged in one or more
of
the following trades
:
retailing
goods
;
non-residential catering (excluding public houses)
;
hair-
dressing
;
funeral furnishing
;
portrait photography
;
repairing goods
direct for the general public
;
retailing motor vehicles, petroleum
products, etc., and repairing motor vehicles other than repairing
for
the trade
'.
The coverage of the Census did not coincide exactly with
the number
of
shops in the popular sense since it included some
hawkers, street traders and itinerant market traders without permanent
premises, and industrial and staff canteens to which the general public
does not normally have access
;
on the other hand it omitted a number
of trades frequently carried on in shop premises, such as dry-cleaning,
receiving for laundries, dye-works, etc.. ticket and travel agencies.
and auction sales.
The
Reports
give the number of establishments in existence at the
time of the Census. This appears to mean the early months
of
1951,
the
period of completing the census forms. For some
of
the tables
Census
of
Dietribution and Other Services,
1950.
Retail Trade,
Short Report
(H.M.S.O.,
London, 1952).
Census
of
Distribution and Other
Services,
1950.
Volume
1,
Retail and Service Trades. Area Tables
(H.M.S.O.,
London, 1953). Volume
11,
Retail and Service Trades, General
Tables
(H.M.S.O.,
London, 1954).
Trial Census
of
Distribution in Six Towns,
British
National Committee
of
the International Chamber
of
Commerce, 1927.
H.
Levy,
The Shops
of
Britain
(London, 1947).
H.
Smith,
Retail Distribution
(London, 1948).
67

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