Using GIS to Explore the Retail Structure of Market Towns in Ireland

The paper presents a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based approach to quantifying and comparing retail structures. It explores the retail landscape of the three largest market towns in County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, namely: Clonmel, Thurles and Nenagh. The context for the study is provided through an overview of recent changes in the Irish retail sector, the dynamic of market towns and the associated challenges inherent in defining retail structure. Using demographic and retail store location data a demand threshold analysis is undertaken on custom-defined catchments for each market town (derived using a Huff Model). The paper highlights that applied GIS approaches can effectively be used to examine retail structure and to benchmark the relative underor over-penetration of retail activity within a given set of markets. The paper also underlines the limitations inherent in such analysis and the need for high quality longitudinal data on retail demand and supply. DOI: 10.4018/jagr.2013010102 18 International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research, 4(1), 17-31, January-March 2013 Copyright © 2013, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. 115,635m2 in 2006 and 238,856m2 in 2007 (Murray, 2008) bringing the total shopping centre stock in the country to almost 2,000,000m2 (Jones Lang LaSalle, 2008; Devane, 2008) with a further 395,454 m2 under construction (Murray, 2008). Similarly total retail park space, also dramatically increased from 200,000m2 in 2002 to estimates of between 860,000m2 (Finnegan, 2007) and 1,200,000m2 (Mitchell, 2009c) in 2007. These centres and parks are predeominantly occupied by national and international multiple groups that now threaten to replace the independent family owned businesses that once dominated the Irish retail landscape (Beesley, 2008; Slattery, 2010, 2009). International names such as Zara, Vera Moda; Jack Jones; H&M, Coast, Karen Millen, New Look Debenhams, T. K. Maxx and House of Fraser, all of whom arrived in the last decade are now nationally well-entrenched with extensive store networks. Furthermore there is growing evidence that, consumers in general, and in particular younger consumers’ exhibit preferences for stores with such ‘High Street’ brands over the independently owned alternative (Mintel, 2008). It is clear that significant changes are occurring to retailing in the Republic of Ireland. The purpose of this exploratory paper is to examine the retail structure of the three largest market towns in County Tipperary, namely: Clonmel (17,008 resident population in 2006); Thurles (7,751); and, Nenagh (7,682). The paper sets out to identify differences in the retail structure of these market towns and to explore possible explanations for differences across the three towns within a GIS analytical framework.