Gary Akehurst is Professor of Marketing at the University of Portsmouth. Previously he was Professor of Marketing Management and Head of the Business Research Centre at Southampton Business School and Senior Consultant with Touche Ross Management Consultants. He has published widely in the areas of marketing, retailing, and tourism planning and development. He is Editor of The Service Industries Journal. Nicholas Alexander is Senior Lecturer in Retailing in the School of Commerce and International Business Studies, Faculty of Business and Management, University of Ulster. He was previously Lecturer in Retail Management at the University of Surrey and Coca Cola Lecturer in Retailing at the University of Edinburgh. His primary research interest is the internationalisation of retailing. He is Associate Editor of The Service Industries Journal.