The Vitality of Neighborhood Retailers: A New Definition of the “Proximity” Concept

This paper identifies the specific elements of the evolution and revolution of the “proximity” concept as it applies to independent retailers, large-scale distribution, and urban areas, and outlines the main causes. The implications of this work propose new trends in the future of neighborhood retailers as well as some hypotheses on the relations between Large-Scale Distribution (LSD), independent retailers, and the theme of the proximity. The main limitation of the paper is its lack of quantitative analysis, as the work is the first part of a larges study of the concept of “proximity” (small and independent retailers that work in the neighborhoods of the urban areas), and in this conceptual work the authors underline the elements of the “new proximity” that come from the literature and from managerial praxis. The work considers the crisis as an incentive for retailers (both independent and dependent) to enter into the dimension of the new concept of “viable proximity”, that could bring benefits to territories, large-scale distribution, independent retailers, and consumers.