Retail Destination

Retail Knowledge Bank

What makes a place a retail destination? What attracts people to stores in different geographical locations? What makes a shopping space attractive, lively, or successful? And why do we prefer shopping in some places to others?

The Centre for Retail Research addressed these questions, and more, within the framework of a study entitled Retail Destination. Here you will find resources related to startup issues, logistics, and city development, as well as information about creating attractive and safe market places.

Seeing the Grocery Store with Fresh Eyes

The physical retail store is always changing. In the future, stores will not simply be places to buy products. They will have more roles than we can ever imagine. In this blog post from 2022, Martin Moström the founder of shopper marketing agency Retail House, explains how in-store innovations should consider the variety of purposes that the stores of the future will play in our communities.

Ease or Excitement?

There is no doubt that retailing is undergoing a significant structural transformation. During the last decade or so, many stores have closed. Yet, at the same time, online retailers are opening physical stores and showrooms and many long-established retailers are investing in new and innovative store formats. This suggests that the physical store is not ‘dead’ but that its role and function is changing.

Read more about the important of different store formats for customers in this 2021 blog post by Carys Egan-Wyer.

How to maintain retail in times of crisis

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, some shopping geographies had difficulties while others proved to be more resilient. What we can learn from these resilient places?

Should the market manage our city centres?

Our city centres and their development are constantly debated. Ulf Johansson suggests that, if we let the market decide, our city centres will eventually be emptied of commerce. What will remain are what tourists, high income earners, and the cultural elite want. Read more in this blog post from 2022.

Integrated ecosystems: The path to tomorrow's smart and sustainable cities?

There are a plethora of technological solutions for the smart cities of the future. However, many cities are facing a similar challenge. How can they integrate the many technological solutions into a coherent ecosystem to create a user/citizen-friendly urban environment.

Read more about the challenges of building smart, sustainable cities in this (Swedish) blog post from 2023 by John Olsson and Klas Hjort.