Inventories are a central piece in contemporary economies and businesses. New paradigms appear in the area of inventory management, which is being increasingly perceived as a strategic element for value creation in supply chains. Inventories became a key element in the constant search for competitive advantages among companies. This dissertation reviews the main concepts and definitions of inventories as applied to finished products. Inventory models, heuristics and policies for distribution systems of retail products involving several products, One-warehouse and N retailers, are defined. Methods designed to regroup items in ABC classes are reviewed and illustrated by numerical applications to pharmaceutical products. The main models and inventory control policies adapted to different classes of products from the case study are defined. The logic of coordinated resupply of retail products in multi-echelon supply chains is presented with examples. Finally, alternative inventory policies for different classes of products in divergent distribution systems are presented. Practical aspects related to the implementation of mathematical models and policies in retail supply chains are emphasized in the conclusion of this work.