ABSTRACT
A retailer's ability to satisfy customer demands depends on his or her location within the retail hierarchy. The retail hierarchy has implications not only for the competitive success of retailers, but also for the budget-wise consumer. It is important to note that the retail hierarchy exists both within urban areas, and in rural areas. The average Canadian city usually has one major, downtown shopping area, several major malls, dozens of minor shopping centres, and hundreds of convenience stores or neighbourhood convenience centres. In any retail market, storeowners strive for an edge — any edge that will give them a foot-up on their competitors. The same basic processes that cause retail hierarchies to emerge in the city, will also cause them to develop in rural areas. The retail shopping patterns that exist in rural areas are also slowly causing the decline of smaller communities in those areas. Retail businesses in the countryside are suffering a triple blow.
