Number Of Retail Stores Research Articles

Influencing factors of spatial vitality in underground space around railway stations: A case study in Shanghai

Developing urban underground space for transportation and commercial purposes has become a vital strategy for sustainable urban growth, especially in dense urban contexts. The vitality of underground space has received wide attention as a key indicator of its efficiency and performance. The spatial vitality of underground space is affected by many factors, including function, spatial configuration, transport environment, and pedestrian-oriented design features. This study takes the underground space of Shanghai Hongqiao Business District (Phase I), one of the most successful integrated railway station-city development projects, as a case to explore the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of spatial vitality and its influencing factors. Multilevel linear models were used to analyze the relationship between pedestrian flow and its influencing factors. Random forest models were used to investigate the relative importance of influencing factors on spatial vitality. This study verified that the distance to the transportation hub and spatial configurations calculated by space syntax are the two most essential factors for vitality. The number of retail stores and walkway width impact the vitality on weekends. The results shed light on our understanding of the urban vitality in the underground space and provide some tentative suggestions for the planning and design of underground space in high-density cities.

Recreational Cannabis Legalization and Proximity to Cannabis Retailers as Risk Factors for Adolescents' Cannabis Use.

Within-person studies are lacking regarding how recreational cannabis legalization (RCL) and the numbers of neighborhood cannabis retailers relate to adolescents' cannabis use. Study participants were 146 offspring (55% girls; 77% White non-Latinx) of men recruited in childhood from neighborhoods with high delinquency rates. Youth were assessed for past-year cannabis and alcohol use one or more times from ages 13 to 20years (age M[SD] = 16.4 [2.1] years across 422 observations), while they were living in Oregon or Washington from 2005 to 2019 (where cannabis retail stores opened to adults ages 21years and older in 2014 and 2015, respectively). We calculated distances between addresses of licensed cannabis retailers and participants' homes. Multilevel models that accounted for effects of age on cannabis use did not support that the number of retail stores within 2-, 5-, 10-, or 20-mile radii of adolescents' homes increased likelihood of past-year cannabis use at the within- or between-subjects levels. Likewise, primary models did not support a greater likelihood of cannabis use among youth whose adolescence coincided more fully with the post-RCL period. A secondary model suggested that after adjusting for adolescents' concurrent alcohol use as a marker of general substance use risk, RCL was associated with cannabis use (between-subjects B [95% CI] = .35 [.05-.66], p = .024). Further research is needed with larger prospective samples, at-risk subgroups, and as cannabis markets mature.

Distribution Channel Relationships in the Presence of Multimarket Contact

Traditional analyses of firms that compete in multiple markets examine settings in which firms sell directly to consumers. However, in many industries, firms sell their products through intermediaries. Importantly, these firms usually have common intermediaries, and the degree of this overlap varies across markets and over time. We empirically study the effect of the asymmetry of distribution channel relationship overlap across markets on retail prices. An increase in distribution channel relationship asymmetry can provide firms with an enhanced ability to punish rivals through shared distribution relationships in addition to shared markets. This increased ability to punish can then soften competition (increase prices), that is, the mutual forbearance mechanism. However, an increase in distribution channel relationship asymmetry can also make it difficult for firms to pursue similar goals with their rivals, and thus weakening the potential for tacit coordination. This can then intensify competition (reduce prices), that is, the goal congruence mechanism. Due to these opposing mechanisms, the net impact of distribution channel relationship asymmetry on competitive intensity is not clear. Using extensive scanner panel data for multiple product categories, on average, we find that an increase in distribution channel relationship asymmetry results in higher retail prices. Consistent with the mutual forbearance mechanism, this effect becomes more positive (or less negative) when (i) the manufacturer size or the number of retail stores in the focal market increases or (ii) when the manufacturer is a public (vs. private) firm. Conversely, the effect becomes less positive when the strategic similarity among manufacturers increases, in line with the goal congruence mechanism.

Face-to-face and Electronic Communication with Customers in Retailing and Company Performance: A Case Study in the Electronics and Communication Equipment Retail Industry in the Czech Republic

Customers today can find the same assortments in a number of retail stores and through the Internet, thus effective store management has become a critical basis for developing strategic advantages. The aim of this research is to identify whether customer satisfaction measured by means of mystery shopping and the results of communication with the public on a company’s Facebook profile assessed by quantitative analysis influence the performance of the selected companies. The evaluation of customer satisfaction and loyalty follows the older pilot study and is newly supplemented by an analysis of communication with customers using social media such as Facebook. The company’s performance is evaluated through the financial ratios (ROA, ROE and ATO) based on accounting data available in the Magnusweb database. The research is focused on selected companies from the electronics and communication equipment retail industry in the Czech Republic and is unique from that point of view because it analyses communication with customers not only in retail shops but concurrently on their profiles for Facebook. The findings show how it is possible to assess the level of customer-oriented communication in retail shops and also the level of communication with customers on the social network. Retailers are increasing their focus on customers’ experience in their shops and on social media sites. The research contributes to a better understanding of marketing in retail and on social media in the selected industry.

Reshaping of the retail environment due to internet as a global competitor

According to statistics, the number of Slovaks who shop over the Internet is increasing year by year. Compared to the surrounding countries, Slovaks are clearly the leaders in online shopping. Increasing popularity of customers in online shopping leads to a significant decline in number of retail stores. This is a consequence of global technological change. However, businesses and especially retailers themselves can benefit from technological advances in this case as well. All you have to do is choose the right marketing tool. Such tools are undoubtedly the tools of proximity marketing that are used as a communication channel in retail stores. In this paper, we focus on proximity marketing tools that provide a means of creating a personal relationship between a customer and a vendor at the time of physical purchase by a customer in a store. Its aim is to support and increase sales in retail stores, increase consumer satisfaction and build a positive brand image. The aim of the paper is to analyse the possibility of using proximity marketing for Slovak consumers as one of the possibilities of reshaping of the retail environment. This analysis will be realized from demographic and also from psychographic point of view.

An automated supermarket checkout system utilizing a SCARA robot: preliminary prototype development

In recent years, a number of retail stores have introduced self-checkout systems at the cash point, however these normally require a high degree of participation by the customer, often leading to requests for help by store attendees. A review of the literature has shown that the use of robots at checkout points, with their potential to reduce customer effort, has not yet been addressed. A separate literature review has shown that the four-axis SCARA robot, used extensively in the manufacturing industry due to its advantages in cost, speed and rigidity, is rarely applied to service tasks. In this work these two research gaps are being addressed. A first prototype of an automated supermarket checkout system, exploiting the advantages of the SCARA robot and including machine vision, has been developed. The system is able to recognize various items placed by the customer on a conveyor, transfer the items to a container, pack them neatly, and total the bill. Evaluation of the prototype indicates that acceptable speed and reliability of the system can be attained.

Wrong Siren! A Location Spoofing Attack on Indoor Positioning Systems: The Starbucks Case Study

The Internet of Things interconnects a mass of billions devices, from smartphones to cars, to provide convenient services to people. This gives immediate access to various data about the objects and the environmental context -- leading to smart services and increased efficiency. A number of retail stores have started to adopt IoT enabled services to attract customers. In particular, thanks to indoor proximity technologies, it is possible to introduce location-based smart services to customers, for example, transmitting identifiable signals that represent the locations of stores. In this article, we investigate a potential security risk involved in such technologies: physical signals used as identifiers can be captured and forged easily with today's widely available IoT software for implementing location spoofing attacks. We highlight this security risk by providing a case study: an in-depth security analysis of the recently launched Starbucks service called Siren Order.

Global Flows and the Changing Place Identity of Myŏng-dong

Abstract This article examines the recent transformation of Myŏng-dong, which has been brought about by a constellation of global forces. The number of retail stores selling affordable cosmetics has mushroomed since 2008, and they are now the area’s primary occupants despite its notoriously high rent, which has led to the area’s becoming identified as Cosme Road. An enormous number of foreign tourists, driven by Korean entertainment, now demand budget cosmetics. Consequently, the agglomeration of cosmetics stores and the consolidation of a place identity have reinforced each other, which has attracted even more customers, and because the pace of tourist mobility and the size of the crowds matter to the area’s turnover rates, various measures are practiced to hasten customer circulation so that they consume Hallyu images and then quickly exit the area. This article interprets the phenomenon in Myŏng-dong in terms of multidirectional global flows, which have transformed the area’s materiality and cultural meanings: the outward Hallyu, the construction of Korean beauty inspired by Hallyu, the global reach of the cosmetics industry that employs Hallyu, and Hallyu-driven transnational tourism. Multirealm global connections have not only reconfigured the place dynamics of Myŏng-dong but also complicated its place meanings by turning the area into a site for the projection of Hallyu desires associated with capital accumulation.

How to Better Frame Problems

Before managers can solve problems or take advantage of opportunities that may arise in their businesses, they must frame those problems or opportunities. Typically, leaders identify and frame problems intuitively and without much conscious deliberation.Framing problems is more an art than a science. It is also profoundly linked with the way our brains work, especially the intuitive processes we use to make sense of the world around us. This technical note illustrates how this process unfolds and how one can find a better frame, thus discovering actions that actually work to solve problems. Excerpt UVA-G-0630 Jul. 13, 2012 How to Better Frame Problems In mid-2009, a global clothing retailer found itself in an unexpected and difficult situation. The past decade had seen unprecedented growth and expansion of the company. The company's number of retail stores in the world had risen from 50 in 1995 to 852 in 2009. Despite this spectacular growth, the company's profits had remained stagnant in recent quarters, and thus its stock price had fallen—in part because investors had lost faith in the company's ability to grow revenues and decrease costs. Executives in the company were also concerned about the decrease in profitability. They framed the problem as one of revenue growth, and as a result, the company began efforts to open more stores, hire more associates, and cross-sell more items to each customer. Despite throwing tens of millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of employee work hours at the problem, the company's profits continued to decline. At the end of 2010, the board enlisted a new CEO who framed the profitability problem in a different way. For the new CEO, revenues were dropping because the company was not fulfilling its value proposition to customers. When the profitability problem was reframed from a growth problem to a customer satisfaction problem, it became clear to the new CEO and her team that the old tactics used to grow revenues were actually hurting the customer experience and further eroding profitability. Thinking about the problem as a customer satisfaction problem offered different opportunities for action. The new CEO reduced the number of new retail locations, trained new staff to deliver a high-quality customer experience, and reduced the number of items that were available in stores to sell to customers—all in an effort to restore the brand experience and make customers happy. Over the following year, these measures slowly restored profitability to the company. Problem Framing . . .

Monitoring, measurement and statistical analysis-based methodology for improving city logistics of shopping malls in Budapest

Urban freight transport poses significant problems in cities around the world: trucks play a major role in congestion, environmental and noise pollution and damage the roads. Shopping centres are problematic, in particular, as they concentrate a large number of retail stores in a relatively small space. There are 18 shopping malls in Budapest alone, each containing 180 stores on average, therefore there is great potential in streamlining their deliveries. The most effective solution is a cooperative city-logistics system, a freight consolidation scheme. However, there is a shortage of available data regarding the logistical operations and freight quantities of shopping malls, so it is inescapable to develop a methodology by which the logistical characteristics of any shopping centre can be obtained. After testing our methodology, we concluded that it is capable of serving as the basis of such systems. This paper presents the development, structure and testing of this methodology.

Global Flows and the Changing Place Identity of Myŏng-dong

This article examines the recent transformation of Myŏng-dong, which has been brought about by a constellation of global forces. The number of retail stores selling affordable cosmetics has mushroomed since 2008, and they are now the area’s primary occupants despite its notoriously high rent, which has led to the area’s becoming identified as Cosme Road. An enormous number of foreign tourists, driven by Korean entertainment, now demand budget cosmetics. Consequently, the agglomeration of cosmetics stores and the consolidation of a place identity have reinforced each other, which has attracted even more customers, and because the pace of tourist mobility and the size of the crowds matter to the area’s turnover rates, various measures are practiced to hasten customer circulation so that they consume Hallyu images and then quickly exit the area. This article interprets the phenomenon in Myŏng-dong in terms of multidirectional global flows, which have transformed the area’s materiality and cultural meanings: the outward Hallyu, the construction of Korean beauty inspired by Hallyu, the global reach of the cosmetics industry that employs Hallyu, and Hallyu-driven transnational tourism. Multirealm global connections have not only reconfigured the place dynamics of Myŏng-dong but also complicated its place meanings by turning the area into a site for the projection of Hallyu desires associated with capital accumulation.

Reconnoitering the Linkage Amidst Retail Service Quality Dimensions: An Inquiry in a Grocery Retail Chain in India

Indian retail industry has grown as the fifth largest in the world. The increasing number of retail stores and the entry of Multi National Companies in single branded retail generated the need for identifying a tool to evaluate the service quality of these stores. Dabholkar's Retail Service Quality scale is exclusively for the retail firms with five dimensions and six sub-dimensions. The objective of the study is to validate a retail service quality scale for Indian supermarkets. A new dimension product related services is added to the existing dimensions eliminating the reliability dimension in the existing scale. The scale is subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and the retail service quality is expressed as the formative construct. The theoretical model is proved to be fit. The validated scale can be applicable to supermarkets in India.

Revealed Bicyclist Route Preferences and Street Conditions

In this study, the route choices of cyclists in an urban environment were related to nine variables on street design and dynamics: tree shade, car parking, traffic speed, traffic volume, mixed or segregated traffic, dedicated bicycle facility, number of car lanes, number of restaurants, and number of retail stores. Cycling itineraries were collected with a tracker equipped with GPS and responses from an intercept survey ( n = 212). Distance-equivalent routes were obtained with a geographical information system. All street segments used by cyclists were investigated to obtain original relevant traffic and physical data. Street segments were coded for the nine variables and entered into a multiple linear regression model in which cyclist volume from the revealed preference survey was the dependent variable. Tree shade, traffic speed, mixed traffic, and the presence of restaurants were found to be significant or highly significant, while car parking and traffic volume were nearly significant. The model explained 21% of the variance in route choice in this sample of four kinds of cycling trips in Shenzhen, China. Examination of the distance-equivalent alternative routes revealed that the number of turns was significantly higher, while tree shade and mixed traffic were not significant in choice.

Site-to-Store or Store-to-Site? Application of One-Way Transshipment in Dual-Channel Retailing

We compare site-to-store and store-to-site strategies for dual-channel integration. The site-to-store (resp., store-to-site) strategy can ll unmet orders in the physical channel (resp., online channel) with the inventory in the online channel (resp., physical channel). With one (physical) retail store, when only one channel should have inventory, it is the channel with stochastically larger or less uncertain demand. Otherwise, with both channels carrying inventory, the optimal channel integration depends on demand uncertainty and product's contribution margin. For high-margin products, the retailer should use the leftover inventory of the low-uncertainty channel to fulfill unmet orders of the other. Furthermore, the site-to-store (resp., store-to-site) strategy becomes more attractive for high-margin (resp., low-margin) products with larger number of retail stores. Also, with many retail stores, channel integration with one-way transshipment achieves most of the risk-pooling benefits, and the additional gain from adding a new direction of transshipment is negligible. We propose a heuristic that only requires a comparison of online demand standard deviation and the sum of demand standard deviations of retail stores in identifying an effective integration strategy. Finally, we apply our results to a circular spatial model for dual-channel retailing systems and obtain insights on the impact of customer purchasing behavior on strategy selection.

Dynamic adjustment process of retail store density in cointegrated panels: evidence from Japan

Using recently developed econometric techniques for testing the existence of unit roots and cointegration in panel datasets, this article investigates the dynamic adjustment process of the number of retail stores per person by business type. Specifically, the major objective of this article is to examine whether there is a long-term relationship between retail store density and consumers’ ability to transport and store goods; that is, the relative costs of performing distributive tasks, as suggested in previous studies relating to store density. The first conclusion from this article is that a cointegration relationship exists between store density for most types of retail businesses and proxies for consumers' ability to transport and store goods. Second, the estimation results of an error correction model reveal that the density of stores dealing in convenience goods exhibits a slow adjustment speed to recover the long-run equilibrium density level, while the density of stores selling shopping goods shows relatively fast adjustment.

Marketing Channels and Retail Store Density in East Asia*

By measuring retail store density with regard to population, several studies have indicated that marketing channels in Asia are different from those in the USA and European countries. The present paper investigates to what extent a model similar to Flath and Nariu (1996) can empirically predict retail densities in Japan and China. The results suggest that the secular decline in the number of retail stores in Japan primarily results from the proliferation of car ownership and the expansion in the average size of a dwelling. We also demonstrate that the model accounts for the large variations in China's retail density.

Centro CITICORP Nueva York - EE. UU.

This project occupying an area of 160 000 m 2 combines: — One 279 m high tower; — One low office building; — A pedestrian mail; — A church; — A landscaped plaza with direct underground access; — A number of retail stores, commercial outlets and a restaurant, and — An arcade complex connecting the different units. Among the outstanding innovations in this center, besides the double decker elevators (lifts) and the computerized control system for the entire complex, we can mention the «tuned mass damper» (TMD) designed to increase comfort in high-rise building during storms.

Retail store visitation and the cost-value hypothesis: An application of the AID algorithm

This paper provides insights into the cost-value implications of retail store visitation. It does this by relating the extent of retail store visitation to both consumer characteristics and situational variables in the context of a specific type of major appliance purchase. The assessment was based on the usage of the Automatic Interaction Detector (AID). This algorithm determines what variables and categorees within them combine to produce the greatest discrimination in group means by the dependent variable (the number of retail stores visited). An interpretation of AID-revealed binary splits suggests support for the cost-value hypothesis of retail store visitation.

Distance and number of retail stores: Land area as a proxy for distance

This article examines the relationship between distance and the number of retail stores in SMSA's and states by using land area as a proxy for distance between stores and consumers. Correlation analysis showed no statistically significant relationship between land area and the number of stores. This lack of relationship is attributed to the inadequacy of the land area variable as a proxy for distance. Consequently, actual measures of distance are needed to appraise the relationship between distance and numbers of retail stores.

Distance and Number of Retail Stores: Land Area As a Proxy for Distance

Distance and Number of Retail Stores: Land Area As a Proxy for Distance