Richard Cuthbertson

Richard Cuthbertson is a Senior Research Fellow and Research Director at the Oxford Institute of Retail Management at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. He is a leading expert in the development of consumer-facing companies and the convergence of online and in-store retailing.

Richard's interest in retail and service businesses focuses on the interactions between customers, technology and the firm, as well as their influence on society, culture, politics and global development. His research investigates not only the economic impact of rapid changes in how we buy products and services, but also the social implications of consumer buying behaviour.

Richard believes 'we're seeing a divergence in retailing between the big players and more niche, specialist stores. The big players are getting bigger and more global through the efficiencies of their back office, through their investment in supply chain, IT, and so on. At the same time we're also seeing the growth of more  specialist stores that focus on a particular customer.'

Much of his research interest lies in understanding and assessing the challenges of the increasingly digital world on retail, particularly through technology innovation and the use of customer data. A current research project is examining  the merger of online and in-store retailing and how high streets and retail businesses will evolve in the future. Cuthbertson’s work is international in scope, in particular looking at how retail practice and policy are developing in countries like India and China, and he regularly acts as a consultant to retailers and governments around the world.

Richard earned his undergraduate degree at Lancaster University Management School and his PhD at the University of Southampton. After a commercial career in distribution management and marketing operations, he moved into academic life in 1993. After five years as a senior lecturer at Bournemouth University, he joined Saїd Business School in 1998.

Richard is a Board member of the Charity Retail Association. He was awarded the Emerald Literati Network Award for Excellence (2010) and the Pegasus Prize for eBusiness Future Insights (2006).

Areas of expertise include:

• Consumer society
• Retail management
• Loyalty, database and online marketing
• Customer strategy
• Service innovation
• Service operations and strategy