The University of Stirling, founded in the late 1960s, accommodates the Institute for Retail Studies. Based in the Department of Marketing in the Faculty of Management, the IRS was established in 1983 to act as a focus for the study of the retail industry.Research at the IRS includes retail strategy; retail marketing; international retailing; logistics management; retail location; comparative retailing and; retail employment and training.

The University of Edinburgh is among the most prestigious, oldest and largest Universities in the United Kingdom.The study of retail is accommodated within the School of Management; the School is one of the pioneers of management education in the United Kingdom.Among the areas of retail research are retail marketing, channel strategy and management; international activity of retailers and; the measurement of retailer performance.