Abstract
Sales forecasting is a key factor in a successful retailing operations. It is especially critical for the food retailing service industry in which product demand is very changeable and some of the product’s life cycle is short. This paper conducts a comprehensive literature review and selects a set of papers in the literature on retail sales forecasting. The advantages and the disadvantages of different kinds of analytical methods of retail sales forecasting are examined. The evolution of the respective forecasting methods over the past few years is revealed. a set of Criteria to choose the right sales forecasting method is discussed. A list of current most popular sales forecasting software in the market to be choose from also disclosed and evaluated. The study also aims to provide a basic level of information about sales forecasting that can be used to raise the awareness of Libyan retailers about the impact of sales forecasting on business growth.