Retail change and the impact of these changes on "High Street", with reference to Palmerston North : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Geography at Massey University

Abstract

Although the retailing sector is highly significant in post-fordist advanced capitalist societies, the sector has been largely ignored in the academic and professional journals. The limited published work in this area tends, by and large, to be descriptive rather than a theoretically informed analysis. This thesis adopts a theoretical framework derived mainly from the work of Harvey, Barras, Ducatel and Blomley, in an attempt to show that the causes of the locational shifts which have occurred in the retailing sector in Palmerston North over the last fourteen years are not necessarily unique to the location. It further points to ways in which future research may better theorise the retailing industry.