1. A method of managing content, comprising: receiving an indication that a plurality of retention policies apply to a content item; determining if there are any conflicts between the plurality of retention policies; and automatically generating for the content item a merged retention policy that is based at least in part on the respective requirements of the plurality of retention policies including: resolving one or more conflicts, if present, between the respective requirements of the plurality of retention policies; and adopting as a storage location for a specific retention period of the merged retention policy a nearest one of the storage locations associated with each of the plurality of retention policies for that specific retention period, wherein a nearer storage location is a more readily accessible storage location.