Retailing content Flashcards
What was the original pattern of retailing?
- The central area
2. Corner shops and shopping parades
What process has led to a change in shopping structure over the last 30 years?
Decentralisation- in the last 30 years, there has been decentralisation of retailing and other services such as offices
What are the three waves of decentralisation?
- Wave one- supermarkets etc built in residential areas
- Wave two- electrical goods and diy retail parks are built on the edge of towns
- High order comparison goods in large out of town shopping areas e.g. The Trafford centre
Name 4 other changes in retailing
- E-commerce
- Famers’ markets
- Small food outlets in the central area
- Petrol stations now have food retail function
What are the causes of decline in the central area?
- Land values
- Lack of room for expansion
- Traffic congestion and high cost of parking
- Unreliable weather for shopping
- Perception that the central area is unsafe
What are the causes of growth in out of town locations?
- Cheaper land and room for expansion
- Increased mobility: roads and car ownership
- Changing shopping habits: people ‘buy in bulk’ e.g. Food shopping so need access by car
- Changing expectations: people use shopping as a leisure activity and visit out of town centres which may have fast food outlets and entertainment areas
What are the general characteristics of out-of-town retailing centres?
- Late sites- redeveloped brownfield site or cheap farmland
- Extensive car parks- often free parking
- Links to a motorway interchange or ring road
- Access to transport interchange facilities- bus station, supertram, railway station
- Linked entertainment facilities e.g. Cinemas, fast food outlets
What are the attitudes in favour of out of town developments?
- Great opportunities to shop without the need to travel to city centres
- Creates jobs for local people, especially students at weekends and young mothers who want part-time work
What are the attitudes against out of town developments?
- It causes an increase in traffic in the area- creating problems of safety, pollution, noise and parking on local residential streets
- 24 hour shopping means continual movement of cars and lorries which may cause unacceptable noise levels at night
What are the problems with out of town development areas?
- Competition with local shopping centres in town centres and suburban areas. Blamed at least in part for inner city decline and urban blight
- Contribute to urban sprawl affecting the rural urban fringe
- Can cause severe congestion on nearby motorways, often leading to long tailbacks on linked sections of road networks at peak periods
- Can be socially divisive. Not accessible to everyone e.g. People who can’t drive or don’t own a car
Name 3 responses to out of town developments
- Redevelopment of town centres e.g. The Touchwood centre
- Growth of ‘outlet centres’. Manufacturers sell old lines or seconds to their customers at reduced prices
- Development of smaller shopping centres in suburbs such as outlet centre and the small centres which can be known in America as ‘box malls’