Appendix IV. Books for retailers
Decent books on retailing are few and far between, which is one of the reasons why I wrote this one. Of those rarities, the ones listed here are the best. Two of the titles are pretty hard to get hold of in the UK but are available at www.amazon.co.uk. Good bookshops may be able to order them for you too. I’ve marked the two in question with asterisks.
Visual Merchandising—Tony Morgan (Laurence King, 2008)
Absolutely essential retail reading—it’s the one book on visual merchandising (windows, signage, fixtures, and fittings—if you’re wondering) that manages to be both incredibly strong on the loveliness of design and on the practical things that design is there to support. A really good companion to Smart Retail. If you can afford it, get Tony’s more recent book as well, concentrating on awesome window design: Window Display: New Visual Merchandising (Laurence King, 2010).
The Richer Way—Julian Richer (Richer Publishing, 5th edition, 2009)
Richer manages people better than anyone I have ever come across. This is the story of how he does that—essential reading.
Why We Buy—Paco Underhill (Simon & Schuster, updated and revised edition, 2009)
Retail anthropologist Underhill has an understanding of the habits of shopping that is just breathtaking. You have to read this if you’re interested at all in customers—which you are.
People Don’t Buy What You Sell: They Buy What You Stand For—Martin Butler with Simon Gravatt (Management Books 2000, 2005)
A brilliant combination of personal insight, powerful case studies, and loads of revealing interviews with star retailers. This one is another essential for all retailers.
Retail Success—George Whalin (Willoughby Press, 2001)*
George worked in a famous guitar store in 1960s California and has been a leading retail mind ever since. He told me that the moment he realized that he wanted to be a retailer was the first time he sold a customer a guitar package that made both him and the customer smile. I love that.
See, Feel, Think, Do—Andy Milligan and Shaun Smith (Marshall Cavendish, new edition, 2008)
A brilliant book about learning to trust your instincts and to become more proactive in your decision-making. Loads of retail case studies; brilliant instinctive retailer Jane Shepherdson says it best in her endorsement for this book: “The sooner we start acting on our instincts, and listening less to business school theories, the more the customer will benefit.” This book will help you to do that better, more often.
Made in America: My Story—Sam Walton with John Huey (Doubleday, 1992)*
The story of how Sam Walton and his team built the world’s biggest company: Wal-Mart. This is a lot of fun, full of breathtaking daring, down-home philosophy, and some great retail stories. An absolute must-read, even now so long after it was first published. I love this book.