Retail decline in France's small and medium-sized cities over four decades. Evidences from a multi-level analysis

Abstract

In recent years, a vast array of literature has shown that more and more city centres are affected by retail decline, be it in Japan, Belgium, Britain, the United States, or in France, while urban peripheries benefit from expanding retail activities. In this paper, we first rely on an international state of the art review, which allows us to identify recurring main factors that explain retail decline (such as sectoral concentration and competition from e-commerce), as well as more contextual factors bringing changes in urban settings and consumption practices (like demographic and labour market dynamics, the size of cities, or the location of municipalities within cities). Secondly, we examine how these factors, when combined, contribute to explain the decline in a superior diversity mix of retail activities in small and medium-sized French towns and cities, for four periods of about ten years each, from 1975 to 2014. The decline in shop diversity affects about a third of the municipalities observed in each period. Our hypotheses regarding the role of demographic size, employment mobility and location are then discussed and compared with the information given by the literature review.

The Current Challenges and Future Alternatives of Supplying Remote Areas with Basic Goods: The Case Study of Idrijsko-Cerkljansko Region, Slovenia

“…This is the opposite to the process witnessed in cities in which retail services are relocating to city outskirts (e.g. Barata-Salgueiro and Erkip, 2014; Teller, Wood and Floh, 2016; Twardzik and Heffner, 2019; Delage et al, 2020). In rural and remote areas, there is a significant decline in the number of providers especially of basic goods (including food stores, post offices and banks, as well as pharmacies) and an increase in time and/or distance accessibility of services (Egger et al, 2011;Arcelus et al, 2015: Guiliani et al, 2017a.…”

Location-Price Equilibria when Traditional Retailers Compete Against an Online Retailer

“…This kind of evidence is supported by our equilibria under the I/A/B/I market structure. However, others believe that online competition would induce traditional retailers to locate in suburban areas (Kotkin, 2001 ; Ushchev et al, 2015 ; Kickert and Vom Hofe, 2018 ; Delage et al, 2020 ). Dixon and Marston ( 2002 ) argue that the internet would place conventional stores in the high-streets, and Li ( 2010 ) finds that, with the arrival of online retailers, many bookshops in Sydney located on high streets away from shopping centers.…”

Key competencies of traders in municipal markets: case study in the Livramento Market of Setubal

“…With the spread and growth of large and modern commercial areas and more recently online transactions, local trade has suffered significant decline of its revenue, with relevant negative impacts in several areas, whether due to the threat of large commercial areas (Balsas, 2000) or by latest innovative forms of trade (Delage, Baudet-Michel, Fol, Buhnik, Commenges & Vallée, 2020). Therefore, in recent years, municipalities have shown a growing interest in preserving and developing this form of commerce, taking actions to revitalize it and restore its relevance in the preservation of identity.…”