The spread of “big box” retail firms and spatial stratification

Abstract

Large "big box" retail firms, including general merchandisers (e.g., Walmart and Target) as well as "category killers" (e.g., Home Depot and Toys "R" Us), have spread rapidly across the United States over the past 4 decades. These firms have been lauded for their presumed consumer benefits linked to expansive product selections and discount prices. They have also been criticized for their perceived negative effects on locally owned businesses, jobs, and wages. We provide an overview of the existing literature and point to promising directions for the development of theory and research on this topic.We, in this article, highlight the importance of this shift in economic organization and encourage sociologists to critically examine the stratification consequences of the rise and spread of these firms.

Tourism and Authenticity: Analyzing Retail Change in Lisbon City Center

“…In addition, retail is endowed with significant dynamics [3,4]. This dynamism is attested to by the variety and evolution of retail formats [5], such as the antique predominance of open-air markets to the current brick-and-mortar retail that exists in the town centers and streets of cities-with a given defined hierarchical structure of commercial spaces (see Berry [6], for example)-or even in shopping centers, retail parks, or in other retail formats [7,8]. If it cannot be assumed that this connection is a novelty, insofar that the preponderant role of commerce in the formation and consolidation of urban agglomerations throughout history is recognized, the acceleration of urban transformation processes has made the city-commerce relationship even more evident over the last few decades.…”