Innovation on the Shop Floor: Lessons from history

Abstract

This paper is set up as a survey of the historical development of large-scale retail enterprises and their interiors. Rather than being exhaustive, it is aimed to give a critical and relevant review of the literature. This survey is innovative in a way that it has a two-angle approach: it examines how various typologies have influenced one another during their development, and the role of innovation on the shop floor in their growth. Three large-scale retail typologies are discussed: the department store, the chain store and the supermarket. Also, two innovations are explained: one technical, being the escalator, and one conceptual, being the self-service concept. To visualise the rather complex historical development of the three types, a graphic timeline is developed. We conclude with reflecting on retail’s history and the importance of the innovations on the shop floor while questioning if retail institutions are still innovative and if the conditions favour innovation today.