Research project
This project is part of the wider public discussion regarding the impact of large retail outlets on medium-sized French cities. The opening of supermarkets and hypermarkets raises questions about their effects, both as drivers of local consumption and as potential disruptors of the economic and spatial structures of territories, notably due to the competitive pressure they exert on small businesses. While the consequences for local employment are relatively well documented, existing literature does not enable these effects to be identified at a fine geographical scale, nor does it consider several complementary dimensions. This work aims to address these shortcomings by empirically analysing the impact of large store openings on: (i) the survival of small retailers and local employment at various geographical levels; and (ii) complementary dimensions such as real estate prices, electoral behavior or crime. The project draws on several administrative and economic datasets, uses event-study and difference-in-differences methods, and exploit the municipal-level political authorisation system governing store openings in France.