New horizons in retail geography: special issue editorial

The world of retail is constantly changing, whether it is the shift away from bricks and mortar shops to online shopping, the ‘death’ of the high street (Hubbard, 2017; Jones and Livingstone 2017; Teller 2008), the revival of some traditional markets (Gonzalez and Waley, 2012), the shift to sustainable consumption (Bianchi and Birtwistle 2010; Williams and Paddock 2011; Jones, Hillier and Comfort, 2014), or responding to the impact of a global pandemic. The retail sector plays an important part in how societies and their economies are formed and change over time and is interwoven with the socio-economic geographies of different locations and at different scales.

There is a rich corpus of literature that has developed on different aspects of retail geography, from earlier works which highlighted the central position of retail geography within social-scientific research (Crewe 2000) to explorations of the economic geographies of retail globalisation (Coe 2004; Coe and Wrigley 2018), through to the shift to low-cost fashion and the impact on cities (Bhardwaj and Fairhurst 2010), or the role of marketplaces as sites of urban transformation (Gonzales 2019). The retail sector remains dynamic, and there is a continuing need to explore these new geographies and their interactions with societies as they emerge.

In this special issue of the International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, New Horizons In Retail Geography, we present five papers which explore a variety of aspects of retail activity set in geographically diverse contexts. By chance, the research included has been produced by scholars in geographically diverse locations, from Australia, to the Czech Republic, Iran, and the United Kingdom. The purpose of this special issue is to highlight new streams of research that fall within the theme of retail geography and draw attention to the value of incorporating geographical concepts and insights into retail analyses. Geographical perspectives involve sensitivity to spatial-temporal change, scale (from local, national, regional to global), the role of place (geographically and culturally diverse contexts), and the spectrum of environmental, social, political, economic, and institutional processes that combine to shape retailing.

In the first paper of this special issue, Han, Wood, Coe, and Alexander bring an economic geographical perspective to the analysis of transnational retail firm performance in China. The authors examine how the advantages that retail transnational corporations (TNCs) initially enjoyed (e.g., superior store format design and planning, marketing and IT infrastructure, efficient sourcing/logistics networks) progressively eroded, and even atrophied in the face of increasing domestic retail competition, a less favourable regulatory environment, the rise of digital platforms, and shifting customer expectations. Han, Wood, Coe, and Alexander suggest three strategic imperatives for retail TNCs in response to these changes; online integration, offline reconfiguration, and strategic reinforcement with each aimed at addressing the variable success of prior strategies. For this special issue, this paper highlights the value of geographical analyses, as the authors discuss and re-evaluate the concept of territorial embeddedness (Wrigley, Coe, and Currah 2005). Han, Wood, Coe, and Alexander demonstrate the dynamic, multi-agent, and temporal nature of retail embeddedness process, and the interaction between the strategic responses of retail TNCs and the host market context, which is itself shaped by intersecting extra-firm actors (stakeholders, institutions, and regulators) that are themselves also in a constant state of flux.

In the second paper, Newing, Clarke, Taylor, Gonzalez, Buckner, and Wilkinson examine urban food deserts and the evidence base for the social value of traditional markets. The authors investigated Newcastle-Upon-Tyne’s (UK) Grainger Market and demonstrated the importance of this traditional retail market within the city. Grainger Market provides a focal point for community connections, and a vital part of grocery supply, particularly for vulnerable consumers and those living in more deprived neighbourhoods. The paper integrates quantitative and qualitative data derived from consumer surveys, focus groups, and interviews with key stakeholders and translated into informative distribution maps to reveal the relevance of the Grainger market to neighbouring urban communities. Through data mapping, the authors further illustrate the value of the study’s findings for urban policymakers, academics, and the retail sector itself.

In the third paper, Grimmer examines the role and responsibility of local governments in tackling the complex place-based marketing issues facing town and city based retailing in regional and rural areas in Australia. Through examining the perceptions of local governments, traders, and shoppers, Grimmer explores the intersection between these key market actors in shaping, and potentially determining, the success or decline of high street and small city retail environments. Grimmer emphasizes the leadership role local government policymakers have in supporting retail environments, and provides a series of practical recommendations for local governments, while highlighting the importance of good communication between local governments and key industry stakeholders.

In the fourth paper, Sadilek, Kunesova, and Cimler examined the sustainability of rural grocery retailing in the Czech Republic. The authors evaluated the impact of increasing consolidation and spatial concentration of rural grocery stores for rural consumers. Data is drawn from a small sample of rural grocery stores and a detailed assessment of rural retail policy implemented within the Czech Republic and several European nations. Like Newing and his colleagues, Sadilek, Kunesova, and Cimler reveal the relational and community role of traditional retail spaces, in this case small scale-independent stores. In this paper, the authors demonstrate how supra-national (European) and national scale policy approaches have a direct and beneficial impact on retailing in variegated rural contexts, and policy-based support for independent grocery stores directly benefits local communities.

In the fifth and final paper, Malekian, Jabarzadeh, and Fazlzadeh investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate ability (CA) on customer purchase intention on e-commerce websites across two genders (male/female). The findings suggest increasing scepticism among consumers towards claims of sustainability through CSR messaging via e-commerce platforms and greater preference for retailers that are demonstrably expedient and reliable in their services (i.e., with higher CA). The research is intended to inform e-commerce firms and online vendors by highlighting the positive effects of CA, the potential negative influences on certain CSR practices in e-commerce , and the moderating role of gender in consumer purchase intention. Interestingly, this paper also provides an insight into the underrepresented empirical context of Iran and the impact of socio-political structures have on women’s consumer purchase intentions.

The papers included in the special issue demonstrate to varying ways in which distinct geographical contexts shape retail processes. A feature of geographical perspectives is the sensitivity to the interaction between firm and extra-firm market actors, dynamic regulatory frameworks, consumers as part of communities, and role of context when examined at different scales (city level or national). Recognising the role of place-based characteristics in culture and consumer behaviour, together with inter-firm and extra-firm relational processes, enriches understanding of the external influences on retailing. Lastly, it is worth highlighting two methodological features of the special issue papers. Newing, Clarke, Taylor, Gonzalez, Buckner, and Wilkinson make affective use of mapping techniques to translate data in a visually informative manner. Malekian, Jabarzadeh, and Fazlzadeh’s examination of purchase intention across genders in Iran draws attention to the real-world tensions that can arise when undertaking research within national contexts that (rightly or wrongly) determine methodological strategies for investigating retailing in relation to gender.

Through the papers included in this special issue, we hope to have demonstrated the value of applying a geographical lens to retail analyses and provide the basis for greater discussion of the spatial nature of international retail and distribution industries within the International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).