Delineation of UK Retail Sector: An Actor-Network Perspective

Abstract

This paper provides a contextual discussion about the UK retail market by screening the relevant literature bodies. The UK retail market is analyzed in terms of its dynamic; the influence market concentration, globalization, and supply chains, and the emerging shifts in the power position. Drawing on ANT, the paper shows how this market comprises a set of networks of various human and non-human actors who interact and negotiate among themselves. It also shows how the power of the UK’s big retailers can be regarded as a consequence of these networks and the interrelationship between them.

Received: 14 October 2021 / Accepted: 11 January 2022 / Published: 5 March 2022