ABSTRACT
Traditionally, retailing has been one of the main functions of the city centre, an area which has been perceived as being at the summit of a hierarchy of shopping centres in the metropolitan region. The geographical distribution of the population within a metropolitan area and its income characteristics are the principal factors affecting the pattern of retailing. It follows that changes in the location of the population will also have a significant impact on retailing. The number of cars per household has also increased rapidly and many households now have two or more cars. In the past, housewives without a job, and deprived of the use of a car during the daytime, relied essentially on local shops. The growth of retailing in the suburbs will inevitably mean the relative decline of the importance of the core area, which will have a decreasing share of total trade.
