History:  First Count of Shops in Wales
In 1952 the Board of Trade published the first ever survey of shops in Great Britain.  The extract below shows the number of vintage technology related shops in the Welsh area of Britain.  The information covers May to October, 1950 and the full report was available for 3s 6d.  This list contains "Electrical Goods" (appliances, accessories and fittings, radio, television, or a combination of these with sale of cycles) and "Furniture and Music" (furniture, carpets, linoleum, gramophones, records, pianos and musical instruments). 

The total number of shops in Great Britain was 551,214 - one for every 89 people (compared to 131 people in the USA and 107 in Canada).  Grocers and dairy shops formed the biggest count, followed by restaurants and cafes, women and children's wear, confectioners and tobacconists, butchers and hairdressers.