The project will analyze the transformation of the Swedish goods trade in the 20th century. The ultimate aim is to write a synthesis of the history of Swedish goods trade from 1750 to the present. The period 1750-1920 already exists in manuscript form. At the center of the analysis is institutional change and important innovations. By institutions I mean legislation, but also the more informal agreements and rules that have influenced trade in goods and its conditions. With regard to innovations, i.e. new technologies and new forms of organization, I will examine how general innovations such as cars, telephones, computers, factories and Taylorism have affected trade in goods. But an important task is also to examine how new ways of conducting goods trade such as fixed stores, department stores, self-service, single-level warehouses, etc. have been introduced and spread within the Swedish goods trade. The major shifts in terms of institutions and innovations that I identify will form the basis for the periodization that is made.

Much is known about the history of goods trade. However, much of this knowledge is scattered across many different books and essays and needs to be compiled. But there are also a lot of knowledge gaps that need to be filled by primary research. For the 20th century, it is mainly the early activities of the wholesale trade, the specialist trade and the trade organizations that need to be researched.