Search results

One important arena for the study of the impact of larger retailers is, in the UK, the market town. This paper shows how locational policies of larger retailers – akin to WalMart openings in the US Midwest – are affecting these traditional towns in rural areas. The paper takes a case study approach by examining the pioneering fightback using the local loyalty card first adopted by Leominster in Herefordshire. Through time it emerges that the community has not been able to sustain its trading opposition to a large format intruder. However, its successes are noted – and study is made of copycat schemes in the UK. A paradox emerges: the most cohesive smaller communities with many independent retailers lack the resources to maintain the fight. Larger settlements can and do support more viable card schemes: but these towns (and cities) having greater populations are themselves already dominated by larger retailers.

This research note discusses the difficulty which factory outlet operators are experiencing in finding suitable sites in the UK and, using the example of Freeport Leisure’s acquisition of United Norwest hypermarket in Stoke and other converted “failed” shopping formats, shows how redeveloped sites with low acquisition costs are a likely option for future factory outlet developers. The acquisition has been successful because of the selection of product type for sale (ceramics which lend themselves to discount prices) and location (at the heart of the Potteries).

In a case study at Waterlooville, Hants, parking is top of two lists of “hindrances” and “helpful factors” viewed by other retailers in the light of superstore competition. Alan Hallsworth draws the conclusion that superstore competition can again be confirmed as not “paramountly important” in the minds of other traders.

The downtown areas of many Canadian cities are very different from those in the United States — or if comes to that, from many in this country. They are, for the most part, pleasant to shop in; they have retained their employment base and are usually well integrated with public transport. Some cities have linking bridges between buildings which create a shopping system immune from the weather (highly desirable in Canada's frequent sub‐zero temperatures). Others have downtown shopping areas with underground links. Alan Hallsworth recently spent some time in Canada; these are some of his impressions.

West Edmonton Mall, in Alberta, Canada, is frequently thought of as the world's most widely‐known shopping development. By late 1985 it had become the world's largest shopping centre, with 5 million sq ft; and had the largest parking space — 20,000 cars. Alan Hallsworth, who recently visited the Centre, suggests that it may now be at a crossroads. It suffered a roller‐coaster disaster with loss of life in 1986, and legal action is still pending; large numbers of young people, described as “mall rats”, wander around the Mall at weekends; and there are faults in the design. These are his personal impressions.

The retail furniture sector is showing rapid growth in France. New influences pinpointed by Alan Hallsworth include the growth of flat‐pack, self‐assembly, and a number of foreign groups moving into the market. The author expects these trends to continue.

Trends in food retailing in Britain suggest that the industry is restructuring. Groups such as J. Sainsbury, Tesco, Safeway and Asda are increasingly concentrating their efforts on opening new, large stores; usually superstores but, occasionally, hypermarkets. There is the increasing likelihood, then, that two or more such large stores will become rivals for the same shopper catchment area. A detailed examination of shopping behaviour in an area where the clear choice is between a superstore and a hypermarket is presented. Key measures of accessibility such as car ownership licence‐holding, car availability and bus availability are examined in order to highlight the spatial implications of this restructuring process.

The analysis of attitude statements made in respect of grocery shopping has now been undertaken in several locations. Results from the Portsmouth area are reported and such statements are related to the grocery store actually reported as being used by respondents. A further refinement is to disaggregate the results by contrasting two source areas of shoppers, one with a higher socioeconomic profile. It is noted that differences do sometimes emerge in the responses offered by this segmentation. Implications of these findings are discussed.

As pressure continues to grow for out‐of‐town shopping a widening range of retail types is seeking such locations. Furniture and furnishings operations, requiring substantial amounts of low‐cost warehouse and display space are well to the forefront. In this study a report is given of some of the key trading characteristics of one such development: a Brown Bear furnishings superstore near Fareham, Hants.