Shifts in the Wholesale Trade Status of U.S. Metropolitan Areas∗

Abstract

Considerable instability exists among large U.S. metropolitan areas in their status as wholesale trade centers. Differences in wholesale trade growth rates, changes in national shares, and shifts in rank position reflect not only population growth patterns, but also structural changes in the national economy. In the latter instance, the wholesale product mix of SMSAs is an important factor in explaining their differential fortunes within the wholesaling hierarchy.

The Role of Merchant Wholesalers in Industrial Agglomeration Formation

“…There is limited geographic literature on the role of wholesaling in the formation of industrial agglomerations (see Vance 1970;Muller 1977;Fredriksson and Lindmark 1979;Meyer 1980;and Lord 1984 for exceptions). Sparse mention stems from two views of industrial complex organization.…”

Wholesalers' Location Patterns within Metropolitan Areas

“…Eventually, as the regional suburban centres develop into 'mini-CBDs' by adding office space, services and entertainment, some of the wholesalers remaining in the original CBD may relocate and smaller, sub-clusters may emerge. This hypothesised process of changing locations may go some way towards explaining the trends towards suburbanisation noted by Lord (1984), Nugent ef al. (1982) and Dawson (1979).…”

“…Although suburbanisation of wholesalers has been identified in a number of countries, the evidence is largely anecdotal and the above authors all lament the lack of research. At a different spatial scale, a number of studies associate the location of wholesaling with larger metropolitan areas in the USA and Canada (Alderson and Kent, 1951;Miller, 1949;Siddall, 196 1 ;Rabiega and Lamoreux, 1973;Lord, 1984;Jones and Simmons, 1987, 144-146), the inference being that wholesaling is a higher order function than retailing, in central place theory terms. Finally, Vance (1970, 58-61) used the concept of 'demand accumulation' (a time based variant of the threshold concept from central place theory) to explain the distributive role of wholesaler/merchants in the entrepats which played such a key role in the development and occupation of the American frontier.…”

A Geografia Do Comércio Atacadista De Hortigranjeiros Na Central De Abastecimento Do Norte De Minas

“…Na ciência geográfica, Lord (1984) pontua que a complexidade do comércio atacadista vai além da intermediação entre fabricantes e varejistas nas trocas de bens de consumo final, uma vez que ele incorpora as transações voltadas também para os bens destinados ao não consumo final, tendo como exemplo a atividade industrial. Na concepção de Garrison (1935), o comércio atacadista é um setor muito grande nas atividades comerciais, principalmente na intermediação de esforços colaborativos nos negócios entre os produtores e os varejistas.…”

“…Os procedimentos metodológicos adotados foram a revisão de literatura, tendo como referências teórico-conceituais os autores Urner (1913); Garrison (1935); Beckman e Engle (1937); Beckham (1941); Lewis (1948); Regan (1949); Clowes, Elliott e Crow (1957); Siddall (1961); Vance Jr (1970); Kenny-Levick (1972); Minas Gerais (1979;1980); Fundação João Pinheiro -FJP (1982a;1982b;1982c;1982d); Rebello (1983); Montes Claros (198? ); Lord (1984); Nascimento e Cruz (1986); Tracey-White (1991); Braga (1992); Santos (1997); Belik (2000); Barreto Junior (2004); Cunha (2006); Nascimento (2008); Mourão e Colombini (2008); Mourão e Magalhães (2009); CONAB (2009;2020a;2020b;); Cunha e Belik (2012); Silva (2012); Silva (2014); CEANORTE (2017;2018;2019); Leite (2020); IBGE (2020); entre outros. Na organização deste trabalho, ocorreram também a coleta e a análise de dados secundários disponibilizados pela Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento (CONAB), por meio da plataforma do Sistema de Informações Setoriais de Comercialização (SISCOM) sobre o comércio de hortigranjeiros, cereais e produtos diversos.…”