Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and then sells in smaller quantities to consumers for a profit. Retailers are the final link in the supply chain from producers to consumers.
A grocery and cosmetics store in Tangier, Morocco
Marketplace at Trajan's Forum, the earliest known example of permanent retail shopfronts
Grand Bazaar, Istanbul (interior). Established in 1455, it is thought to be the oldest continuously operating covered market.
The retail service counter was an innovation of the eighteenth century.
A supply chain, sometimes expressed as a "supply-chain", is a complex logistics system that consists of facilities that convert raw materials into finished products and distribute them to end consumers or end customers. Meanwhile, supply chain management deals with the flow of goods within the supply chain in the most efficient manner.
A German paper factory receives its daily supply of 75 tons of recyclable paper as its raw material.
Many electronics manufacturers of Guangdong and beyond rely on the supply of parts from numerous component shops in Shenzhen.