ABSTRACT
Retailing land uses constitute a significant part of the urban environment in all developed economies. In the UK there are almost 350,000 retail outlets plus 200,000 outlets devoted to services (such as hairdressers and dry-cleaners) usually found in shopping centres. The amount of floor space devoted to retail and service activities in Britain is over 800 million ft2 (74 million m2) and the retail sector employs over 2 million workers, with retail sales contributing 25 per cent of Britain's gross domestic product.1 In the USA, where retailing and wholesaling activity employs 20 per cent of the national workforce, retailing accounts for over $1.5 trillion in sales annually in over 1.5 million establishments,2 while in the Canadian economy retail sales absorb one-third of disposable income.3
