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Several commentators have expressed concern over the methods used by the retail sector in the UK in deciding on the location and scale of future developments. Most firms appear simply to react to development opportunities as they arise, or make decisions on the basis of ‘hunch’. Very little statistical information is used to assist them. One reason for this must be that forecasting methods and factual information available are frequently quite inadequate to permit of reliable judgments about the performance of new stores in specified locations. This reflects not only the lack of retail turnover statistics at local level, but also the lack of detailed information about the routine shopping behaviour of representative samples of the population. In recent years there has been very little applied general research into shopping behaviour in the UK; consequently very little is known about many of its aspects, particularly those factors which influence and motivate people's choice of store for their everyday shopping trips. In this article the authors have a positive objective; after discussing existing sources of information they describe a new and potentially valuable source — the Cardiff shopping diary survey, which they themselves carried out in the first half of 1982. Finally, they deal with some ways in which the results of this survey can be put to practical use by retail organisations.

Reviews methods of estimating shopping centre turnover in the absence of published census information. Discusses use of market area analysis and reviews the experience of surveying retailers themselves in order to measure turnover. Reports a case study of small towns in mid Wales which found that about 70 per cent of the retailers approached were willing to be surveyed, and of these about 70 per cent were willing to provide information on turnover. Examines the use of surrogate measures such as retail employment and concludes that, while such surveys are worthwhile in present circumstances, reinstatement of a centrally organized compulsory census is essential in the longer term.

Most of the published research on outshopping (consumers buying goods in places outside their home town) has been American. This is an analysis of outshopping from Newtown, Wales, UK. Information based upon a survey of over 300 households was collected relating to recent places of purchase for six different types of comparison goods. Generally, car owners were more likely, and older residents less likely to have recently purchased goods outside Newtown. Outshopping was also related to negative attitudes to Newtown′s shopping centre and positive attitudes to shopping else‐where. A logit regression analysis shows that demographic and attitudinal characteristics can both have important and independent effects upon outshopping behaviour. However, out‐shopping for do‐it‐yourself products, electrical goods and furniture appears less systematically related to these characteristics than does out‐shopping for clothing, footwear and furnishings.

Examines recent developments in the UK grocery industry, particularly regarding the location, size and type of new large stores. Shows that reductions are occurring in the volume of new development compared with the early 1990s. Suggests that this appears to be due to two factors: first, the approach of grocery store saturation in many areas; and, second, changes in government planning policy which are restricting the choice of locations suitable for new store development. Companies are now finding that investing in overseas ventures and/or refurbishing existing stores can be a more profitable strategy than developing new stores. Also discusses the influence of competition from limited line discount stores. Finally, states that saturation is essentially a local phenomenon, and that further research into store openings and closures at local scale is necessary to demonstrate its presence.

Saturation of retail stores, at national and local levels, is a cause for concern in Britain. Attempts to define saturation in grocery retailing and to investigate its relationships with market penetration and catchment area size. Discusses the differing views of commentators and retailers, and considers saturation in the light of the intensifying competition between a small number of major grocery retailers. Explores the implications of this process of competition through a theoretical analysis and case studies of apparent saturation within local markets. Concludes that grocery store development can and will continue even when local markets appear to be saturated and looks briefly at the implications for retail planning.

Reviews ways in which sunk costs, particularly those embedded in property ownership, can affect programmes of selective closure of retail outlets. Three examples from UK retailing in the 1990s – Littlewoods, the British Shoe Corporation and Do it All – are used to demonstrate that sunk costs have been significant in delaying the execution of rationalisation programmes, and have led to substantial “write‐offs” of property assets in company balance sheets. Certain conventions and inflexibilities in British property law and management are identified as key influences. There is shown to be a need for further research into corporate closure programmes and their relationships with property and locational issues. Some tentative conclusions for corporate retail strategies are discussed.

Many retail and business areas in Britain’s inner cities find difficulties in competing with modern retail developments in town centre and off‐centre locations, and are in decline as a result. This paper examines one such area, in Cardiff, Wales, and reviews the steps which could be taken to halt decline and revive the area’s economic and social role in the community. The views of traders and local residents concerning possible improvements to the area are explored, through consultations carried out through the local Community Forum and a survey carried out by students from Cardiff University. The paper concludes with a discussion of the main “agents for change”, in particular the crucial role of the local authority in facilitating environmental and economic change.

This paper examines the role of neighbourhood stores in supplying food items of high nutritional value in areas of poor accessibility to large supermarkets or superstores. Analysis of availability of a sample of “healthy foods” in four socially deprived areas of Cardiff suggests that such stores play only a limited role in making these foods available to local residents. Prices are also shown to be higher on average than in larger supermarkets, although, surprisingly, symbol group stores appear to carry higher prices than true independents. The future role of neighbourhood food stores is discussed, in the light of current attempts to improve the fresh food offer of symbol group stores.

The expansion by grocery retailers in the UK has been a subject of much speculation and continues to raise questions about the scope and format of future investment in new stores. Suggests that a more dynamic perspective of the strategies of individual retailers is central to understanding this issue. Examines competing perspectives of locational change and suggests that retail potential needs to be defined locally not just with reference to the quality of retail floorspace but also to the strategic objectives of competing organizations. Such a perspective highlights how the format and locational choices of competing retail organizations themselves might serve to blur the boundaries of local market potential. Illustrates this with reference to an exploratory case study of the evolution of grocery retailing in two UK cities, Cardiff and Manchester. Highlights the implications of the changes in competing formats for the stability of the local retail system and identifies some related research issues.

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