Transformation of the Spatial Organization of Retail Trade in Arkhangelsk

Abstract

The article compares the spatial organization of retail food trade in Arkhangelsk in 1988 and 2022 in order to identify the changes that have occurred in the post-Soviet period. Its transformation was facilitated by the closure of industrial enterprises, most of them were located in settlements in outskirts, a change in the solvency of residents, and a reduction in the number of potential buyers. The internal heterogenety of the conditions for the development of trade in different parts of the city, differences in the provision of retail outlets for residents, the prevailing trade formats that are typical for central and outlying areas are revealed. Compliance of the principle of equidistance of shops from residential buildings was checked. We also conducted a content analysis of customer reviews about various formats of retail outlets. We determined that in 2022 the number of stores in Arkhangelsk increased by 3 times compared to 1988. However, their distribution throughout the city is extremely heterogeneous. There is a clear competitive advantage of the central districts of the city (Oktyabrskiy, Lomonosovskiy), where the number of stores has increased by 4–5 times, over the outskirts, where the growth is less than 2 times (Maimaksanskiy, Isakogorskiy, Tsiglomenskiy districts). The most common form of trade organization in Arkhangelsk is a discount store, which is associated with the low solvency of the city population. Most of them belong to federal retailers. Their expansion in Arkhangelsk mainly affected the central districts and bedroom suburbs close to them. The least number of stores of federal and local retail chains has been opened in the outlying districts; there aren't any shops on the islands without bridges (Brevennik, Linskiy Priluk, Khabarka, Kegostrov). For outlying areas, the most common stores are those that do not belong to chain retailers, these are small pavilions and kiosks. Most customers’ reviews of such stores are negative and the overall rating of their work is lower than that of chain stores.

Keywords

• transformation
• retail
• trade organization
• urban environment