Book excerpt: The 1980s witnessed the first step - change in managing the logistics function when stock centralization, contracting out and investment in technologies made a massive impact. The 1990s have experienced further changes that have been mainly concerned with incremental improvements and relationship changes. Academic researchers and industry specialists share their research into retail logistics providing a state-of-the-art report on the key issues. Logistics and Retail Management: Insights into Current Practice and Trends from Leading Experts covers changes in retail distribution and the recent transformation of retail logistics features company profiles of Safeway and Tesco, two of the most respected grocery logistics operations in the UK. It also discusses the internationalization of retailing and its impact on logistics strategy and proves that logistics excellence provides a fundamental competitive advantage.