The transformation of Turkish retailing: Survival strategies of small and medium-sized retailers

Retailing in Southern European cities has been experiencing rapid change in recent years with the introduction of large outlets, led initially by Western European companies. However, little detailed information and interpretation is available about the experience of Southern European countries. There are several areas that deserve attention including the impact of multinational retailers on retail and wholesale networks; the changing urban retail landscape; the survival dynamics of small and medium-sized retailers; and changing consumer habits. Despite the contribution of some empirically informed studies, the dynamics of business change and its wide-ranging impact remains largely unexplored. This article sets out to Žll the gap in the literature by examining the changing nature of retailing in the urban area of Ankara, and explores how small and medium-sized retailers respond to business changes brought by a new form of capital concentration, and Žnally considers survival strategies in the foodstuff sector. Turkish retailing shares many of the characteristics of other Southern European economies. The presence of a large number of small, individually operated Žrms, a modest rate of capital accumulation, and traditional food production and distribution systems are typical of Greece, Portugal, and Spain as well as of Turkey. Despite its apparent importance in generating jobs and boosting many local economies, the contribution of retailing to the national economy has not been fully acknowledged. The retail sector in Turkey still remains underdeveloped relative to Western Europe and there are many independent small establishments. In terms of the distribution of activities, foodstuffs occupy an important position with more than one-third of total retail establishments, 192,474 of a total of 498,900 in