Week 1: January 5 2015
GGR252
Retail Geography: Introduction
Start looking at retail in a critical way
How do we get people to consume etc.
Course themes:
Understanding the retail economy
Retail facilities:
o Retail strips, strip malls, shopping centers, power centers, lifestyle enters
Lifestyle centers
Create a center that has different forms of retail
Individual boutiques, street life and distinguished structures
o Understand the differences between the above retail centers
Retail Format
o Independent stress, chains, franchises, big box stores, ownership
o What type of organization and ownership does the store have
o There is a correlation between what type and where they exist
There are more and more franchises and big box etc., gives less chance for independent stores
Understanding the retail economy
o Evolution of retail
Location of retail, format of retail, concentration of ownership
o Activities of retailers
Strategies – relating to competition, consumer activity, changes in economy
How are they dealing with competitors, and consumers
They eliminate competition by having low prices
Understanding the retail economy
o Consumer behaviour
Life cycle: age
Life level: changes through life, income level changes etc.
Life style: difficult to measure
Income: education: age, culture: impact lifestyle , consumer society
Understanding the retail economy
o Modeling retailer and consumer behaviour
Demand curves, cost curves, trade areas, income allocation
o Importance of geography
Distance decay, location of retail, location of consumer
Spatial concentration – income, age, culture
o Trying to figure out why people shop at one store more than the other store
o Experience matters
Focus on the greater Toronto area
Spatial concentration of population, income
Diversity of employment, culture, lifestyles
o Assignments – analysis of retail through field work
Midterm is based on the above – and your understanding of it
Unplanned Retail – Retail strips
Older urban areas – lakeshore, Oakville etc.
No one controls the whole space
A lot of independent stores
Problem with these? How do they attract consumers
Planned Retail – Shopping Centers, Power Centers
GGR252
Retail Geography: Introduction
Start looking at retail in a critical way
How do we get people to consume etc.
Course themes:
Understanding the retail economy
Retail facilities:
o Retail strips, strip malls, shopping centers, power centers, lifestyle enters
Lifestyle centers
Create a center that has different forms of retail
Individual boutiques, street life and distinguished structures
o Understand the differences between the above retail centers
Retail Format
o Independent stress, chains, franchises, big box stores, ownership
o What type of organization and ownership does the store have
o There is a correlation between what type and where they exist
There are more and more franchises and big box etc., gives less chance for independent stores
Understanding the retail economy
o Evolution of retail
Location of retail, format of retail, concentration of ownership
o Activities of retailers
Strategies – relating to competition, consumer activity, changes in economy
How are they dealing with competitors, and consumers
They eliminate competition by having low prices
Understanding the retail economy
o Consumer behaviour
Life cycle: age
Life level: changes through life, income level changes etc.
Life style: difficult to measure
Income: education: age, culture: impact lifestyle , consumer society
Understanding the retail economy
o Modeling retailer and consumer behaviour
Demand curves, cost curves, trade areas, income allocation
o Importance of geography
Distance decay, location of retail, location of consumer
Spatial concentration – income, age, culture
o Trying to figure out why people shop at one store more than the other store
o Experience matters
Focus on the greater Toronto area
Spatial concentration of population, income
Diversity of employment, culture, lifestyles
o Assignments – analysis of retail through field work
Midterm is based on the above – and your understanding of it
Unplanned Retail – Retail strips
Older urban areas – lakeshore, Oakville etc.
No one controls the whole space
A lot of independent stores
Problem with these? How do they attract consumers
Planned Retail – Shopping Centers, Power Centers
