This special issue of The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research offers a selection of the best papers presented at the 19th International Conference on Research in the Distributive Trades of the European Association for Education and Research in Commercial Distribution (EAERCD). The EAERCD has continued to offer a forum for academic exchange over a 27 year period on both current and emerging issues within the distributive trades and retailing. This year the School of Retail and Services Management, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) hosted the EAERCD conference. The School of Retail & Services Management offers specialist retail taught programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, and is one of the founding schools of the modern DIT. The hosts were delighted to welcome 109 delegates from 26 countries, representing 64 Universities to explore a range of topics including: omni-channel retailing, consumer interfacings with in-store technologies, corporate social responsibility in retail contexts, retail marketing, branding and international retailing
