Inner-city supermarkets as a retail revitalization strategy : the case of the Roslindale Village Market

Abstract

Community economic development organizations such as Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner-City (ICIC) claim that inner-city supermarkets will lead the way in inner-city revitalization. These proponents claim that supermarkets will provide jobs, attract private investment, improve the physical appearances of neighborhoods, and bring customers to existing businesses in the inner-city. While this is true for the majority of stores in commercial districts, competing and non-competing stores are impacted by the presence of supermarkets in a different ways. This research also finds that the stores of Roslindale Village do not fit into the traditional retail economic categories of convenience and comparison stores. Supermarkets can be an effective revitalization strategy if existing business owners are aided in redefining their individual business strategies to capitalize on the benefits created by these new anchor stores. As we have seen, this business strategy must take into account the nature of the stores customer base and products. If individual businesses have effective business strategies, they can reap the benefits of inner-city supermarkets.