The purpose of this paper is to explore the retail locational changes in Kushiro during the 1980s and to represent a model for the short-term changes in the urban retailing system. In the CBD and the old built-up areas, retail shops have decreased in number, while they have increased in the new built-up areas. In the new built-up areas as well as the CBD, the number of chain stores has increased but the small independents have decreased. In the old built-up areas, the small independents have not decreased. In addition, the new built-up areas are characterized by rapidly increasing motor vehicle stores and speciality stores, being chain stores with free parking.