Accessibility versus scale - Examining the tradeoffs in grocery stores

This is article examines the grocery industry and how it is affected by how households shop for food, focusing especially on store accessibility and store size. In total, "groceries and other foods for human consumption off the premises" made lip about 15 percent of all retail sales in 1997 (U.S. Census Bureau 2002, 644). The retail grocery industry affects localities chiefly by providing nonbasic employment and contributing to quality: of life. Ninety-nine percent of households shop at grocery stores on a weekly basis (Progressive Grocer 2002). Figure 1 shows that supermarket store size has increased in the past decade, suggesting that larger grocery stores are more profitable, as well as being popular with many consumers. However, some local governments regulate store size. This article analyzes grocery stores nationally and in the Atlanta metropolitan area to explore the implications this has for planning.