Wikipedia:WikiProject Retailing/How to write about retailers

 This is an unofficial project guideline for the structure of Wikipedia articles about retailers. The order of sections is optional and purely advisory, though editors are advised to come to a consensus that works best for the retailer in question. References are required for every article.

While this is just a guideline, it does provide a basic framework for a retailer article, as well as useful tips to help in bringing an article up to good article or featured article status.

Suggestions on how to improve the below guidelines are welcomed and can be discussed on the talk page to ideally reflect consensus.

Any article on a retailer should follow the standard wikipedia guildelines for layout. Ideally, each article should have an appropriate lead section, suitable images that are relevant with an appropriate usage license, and an infobox (typically using a company infobox).

Lead
The lead section is the section before the table of contents and the first heading, serving as an introduction to the article and a summary of its most important contents and may be the only section visitors read. The lead should be written in a clear, accessible style with a neutral point of view and contain no more than four well-composed paragraphs.

The lead should identify the retailer, establish context, justify notability and summarize the most important points. The emphasis given to material in the lead should roughly reflect its importance to the topic, according to reliable and published sources. Apart from basic facts, significant information should not appear in the lead if it is not covered in the remainder of the article.

History
How and when the retailer was established. This may include the individual(s) who initially founded the retailer, including brief information on their background and how they came about starting the company, or information on a parent company if the retailer is a subsidiary of an existing retailer and/or company.

Business operations

 * Sales strategy
 * Product offering
 * Customers (such as how many they serve each week, month of year and whether they appeal to people of a particular age or gender)

Corporate affairs

 * Market competition (who are the closest competitors)
 * Expansion (example: store growth)
 * Financial performance (including turnover, gross profit and net profit, ideally within the last five years)

International operations

 * Background and performance on international operations
 * Countries the retailer operates in

Awards/Accolades
What awards has the retailer won in recent years (ideally should be within the last five years to ensure relevance). Awarding body or institution must itself be independently recognised as a reputatable institution.

Criticism and/or litigation
Any notable instances of activity that has resulted in legal action being taken against the retailer (for instance, being fined for a major breach of health and safety. This section should not list every instance of criticism the retailer has been subject to, but just those that have had significant national media attention or were the litigation had a significant impact on reputation and/or growth.

Images
Images where available may be used to enhance the appearance of the article and offer the reader an understanding of the retailer's brand image and store configurion. The infobox should contain the retailer's logo and a photo that reasonably and fairly represents their national or global image, whether it be a store exterior or interior.