Retail development in the consumer revolution: The Netherlands, c. 1670–c. 1815

Danielle van den Heuvel and Sheilagh Ogilvie

Explorations in Economic History, 2013, vol. 50, issue 1, 69-87

Abstract: The Netherlands pioneered an early modern ‘Retail Revolution’, facilitating the Consumer Revolution. We analyze 959 Dutch retail ratios using multivariate regressions. Retail density rose with female headship everywhere. Density was high in Holland, but moderate in intermediate provinces and low in Overijssel. Differences in retail density between large and small settlements were trivial in Holland, moderate in intermediate provinces, and prominent in Overijssel. Retail ratios stagnated everywhere across the eighteenth century but rose sharply after 1800. The Dutch Retail Revolution did not unleash ineluctable growth, we conclude, but varied significantly with agrarian structure, the institutional powers of guilds, and female autonomy.

Keywords: Retailing; Consumer revolution; Netherlands; Women; Guilds; Agglomeration economies; Agrarian structure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L81 N33 N43 N73 N93 R12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:exehis:v:50:y:2013:i:1:p:69-87

DOI: 10.1016/j.eeh.2012.08.003

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