[vc_row][vc_column][vcex_spacing][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Ask just about any retailer to list the three most important things a store should have and you will likely hear: “location, location, location”. The phrase has been in use since at least 1926, according to The New York Times, and is just as relevant now as it was back then.
The observatory presents, at first, a rather traditional descriptive analysis of retail dynamics, where the spatial variable is not accounted for.
Then, physical space is introduced in the analysis, and the dynamics and strategic interactions among retailers and between consumers and retailers become more apparent. Hotspots where retailers are concentrated, and coldspots with a low retailers’ density are detected. Retailers generate hotspots to serve and attract consumers, even though they face a tougher competition. By using distance-based agglomeration measures, spillover (externality) intensity among stores is captured. Moreover, by using co-agglomeration measures we can capture the effect of urban amenities on retailers’ location choices, i.e., we can identify urban structures that attract retailers. The above analyses are performed both for the whole retail industry and for single product categories.
Finally, the observatory accounts for the two-way relationship between territory morphology and urban socio-economic phenomena: the distribution of retailers and the variety of their assortment in space contribute to city structure, accessibility, security, and hence to the quality of life in neighbourhoods and the inhabitants’ shopping experience. On the other hand, city shape, as the outcome of past choices and traditions, may either bind or promote actual interactions in the retail sector.
The seminar will take place on Tuesday 14th November, 11:00 – 13:00, at Centro Interdipartimentale FULL (Toolbox Coworking, Turin), presented by Luigi Buzzacchi
(DIST | FULL – PoliTO), Antonio De Marco (DIGEP | FULL – PoliTO), Roberta Taramino (DIST | FULL – PoliTO), Giulio Zotteri (DIST | FULL – PoliTO)
The seminar takes part of Future Urban Legacy Lab Seminar series and will provide grounds for discussion with PhD students about methodological issues, policy implications, and potential developments of the study along different research paths.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]