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Superstores and the Politics of Retail Development

This article investigates retail development as a social problem, a political phenomenon, and an increasingly important form of urban development. I focus on mass retail, as exemplified by superstores. The data come from six case studies, carried out onsite, of local controversies over the siting of Wal‐Mart superstores. I analyze retail development and the conflicts that it may provoke in terms of six key categories: economic context, actors, dynamic, interests, ideology, and consumption. Throughout the analysis I critically engage the growth machine perspective and suggest how it may be modified to better account for the peculiarities of retail development. I argue that retail development does not necessarily lead to growth and that mass retail is driven by the pursuit of market share and profit, not growth. I also introduce several new concepts: the global development machine, which has taken over certain functions of the growth machine; the shoppers, a local group that appears to value shopping over broader community interests; and the ideology of shopping, which serves to promote retail development.