The retail revolution

MOST people enjoy shopping. Saturday afternoon at the shops used to be something of an outing for the family. The exercise involved in walking through a town or mall was worth half an hour in the gym.

Rise of the supermarket

Then came the supermarket, which changed the shopping outing, but there was still a good walk and possibly coffee at the in-store cafe. The shoppers were changing, too. Longer life and more money gave them opportunities they had never thought of and needs for their ageing bodies they hadn't imagined could exist. Time previously spent at the fishmongers, butchers and greengrocers was now spent at the chemists choosing OTC remedies or waiting for prescriptions to be filled.