Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Place marketing and urban retail agglomerations: An examination of shoppers’ place attractiveness perceptions

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Place Branding and Public Diplomacy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article approaches the perceptions of shoppers towards urban retail agglomerations from the perspective of place marketing. Acknowledging that place marketers need to be mindful of how place users can be best fulfilled, this research conceptualises the agglomeration as a place marketing site. The literature reveals the role of place users, in particular the retail customers, in the place-formation process. As such, an evaluation framework proposes antecedents of (retail-related) place attractiveness in order to understand what the key drivers of this behaviour are. An empirical study is presented involving almost 500 face-to-face interviews of shoppers at the time they visit a town centre. The results show that the retail tenant mix and the atmosphere influence attractiveness most significantly. Critical reflection of the literature, with respect to the empirical findings, reveals the crucial necessity to understand and integrate the place user's point of view into the concept of place marketing. This research addresses a gap in the literature on place marketing, focusing on place users’ perceptions as opposed to the dominant theme of place actor's strategic needs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aiesha, R. (2006) Place marketing and the planning process. In: D. Bennison (ed.) Proceedings of the CIRM Conference – Destinations and Locations: Exploring the Multiple Identities of Place. Manchester: Manchester Metropolitan University, pp. 1–2.

  • Anderson, J.C. and Gerbing, D.W. (1988) Structural equation modelling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin 103 (3): 411–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anholt, S. (2006) Is place branding a capitalist tool? Place Branding 2 (1): 1–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anholt, S. (2008) Place branding: Is it marketing, or isn’t it? Place Branding and Public Diplomacy 4: 1–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashworth, G.J. and Voogd, H. (1994) Marketing and place promotion. In: J.R. Gold and S.V. Ward (eds.) Place Promotion: The Use of Publicity and Marketing to Sell Towns and Regions. Chichester, UK: John Wiley, pp. 39–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ave, G. (1993) Urban planning and strategic urban marketing in Europe. In: G. Ave and F. Corsico (eds.) Urban Marketing in Europe. Turin, Italy: Turin Incontra, pp. 126–159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bagozzi, R.P., Yi, Y. and Phillips, L.W. (1991) Assessing construct validity in organizational research. Administrative Science Quarterly 36 (3): 421–458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bennison, D.J., Warnaby, G. and Davies, B.J. (2005) Retailing and the marketing of urban places: A UK perspective. The International Review of Retail Distribution and Consumer Research 15 (2): 191–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borchert, J.G. (1994) Urban marketing: A review. In: G.O. Braun, J. Karn, H. Linemann, A. Schultz, G. Woosnam and J. Woosnam (eds.) Managing and Marketing to Sell Towns and Regions. Berlin, Germany: Deitrich Reimer Verlag, pp. 415–427.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bramezza, I. (1996) The Competitiveness of the European City and the Role of Urban Management in Improving the City's Performance. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Thesis Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Capik, P. (2006) Regional marketing strategies and network models in competing regions – FDI attraction mechanisms in Central Eastern Europe. In: D. Bennison (ed.) Proceedings of the CIRM Conference – Destinations and Locations: Exploring the Multiple Identities of Place. Manchester: Manchester Metropolitan University, pp. 20–30.

  • Churchill, G.A. (1979) A paradigm for developing better measures of marketing constructs. Journal of Marketing Research 16 (1): 64–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, R. (1997) Regenerating Town Centres. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finn, A. and Louviere, J.J. (1996) Shopping center image, consideration, and choice: Anchor store contribution. Journal of Business Research 35 (3): 241–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gower, R. (2008) People-managed places. Journal of Place Management and Development 1 (3): 315–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guy, C. (2007) Planning for Retail Development: A Critical View of British Experience. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J. and Anderson, R.E. (2009) Multivariate Data Analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, P. (1993) Forces shaping Urban Europe. Urban Studies 30 (6): 893–898.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holcomb, B. (1994) City make-overs: Marketing the post-industrial city. In: J.R. Gold and S.V. Ward (eds.) Place Promotion: The Use of Publicity and Marketing to Sell Towns and Regions. Chichester, UK: John Wiley, pp. 115–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hospers, G.J. (2006) Borders, bridges and branding: The transformation of the Oresund region into an imagined space. European Planning Studies 14 (8): 1015–1033.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L. and Bentler, P.M. (1991) Fit indices in covariance structure modelling: Sensitivity to underparameterized model misspecification. Psychological Methods 3 (4): 425–453.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L. and Bentler, P.M. (1999) Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modelling 6 (1): 1–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Insch, A. and Florek, M. (2008) A great place to live, work and play: Conceptualising place satisfaction in the case of a city's residents. Journal of Place Management and Development 1 (2): 138–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaldor, N. (1966) Causes of the Slow Rate of Growth in the United Kingdom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kavaratzis, M. and Ashworth, G.J. (2005) City branding: An effective assertion of identity or a transitory marketing trick? Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie 96 (5): 506–514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kotler, P., Asplund, C., Rein, I. and Haider, D. (1999) Marketing Places Europe: Attracting Investments, Industries, and Visitors to European Cities, Communities, Regions and Nations. Harlow, UK: Financial Times; Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotler, P. and Gertner, D. (2002) Country as brand, products and beyond: A place marketing and brand management perspective. Journal of Brand Management 9 (4/5): 249–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kotler, P., Haider, D. and Rein, I. (1993) Marketing Places: Attracting Investment, Industry, and Tourism to Cities, States and Nations. New York: The Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Madsen, H. (1992) Place-marketing in Liverpool: A review. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 16 (4): 633–640.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Page, S.P. (1995) Urban Tourism. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Page, S.P. and Hardyman, R. (1996) Place marketing and town centre management: A new tool for urban revitalization. Cities 23 (3): 153–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Persky, J., Ranney, D. and Wiewel, W. (1993) Import substitution and local economic development. Economic Development Quarterly 7 (1): 18–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Philo, C. and Kearns, G. (1993) Culture, history, capital: A critical introduction to the selling of places. In: G. Kearns and C. Philo (eds.) Selling Places. Oxford: Pergamon Press, pp. 1–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reimers, V. and Clulow, V. (2004) Retail concentration: A comparison of spatial convenience in shopping strips and shopping centres. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 11 (4): 207–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, K. (1993) City marketing in Germany. In: G. Ave and F. Corsico (eds.) Urban Marketing in Europe. Turin, Italy: Turin Incontra, pp. 183–195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, G. and Williams, A. (1992) Tourism, development and the environment: The eternal triangle. In: C.P. Cooper and A. Lockwood (eds.) Progress in Tourism, Recreation and Hospitality Management. Chichester, UK: John Wiley, pp. 47–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Short, J.R. and Kim, Y.-H. (1998) Urban crises/urban representations: Selling the city in difficult times. In: T. Hall and P. Hubbard (eds.) The Entrepreneurial City: Geographies of Politics, Regimes and Representations. Chichester, UK: John Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smyth, H. (1994) Marketing the City: The Role of Flagship Developments in Urban Regeneration. London: E&F Spon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teller, C. (2008) Shopping streets versus shopping malls – Determinants of agglomeration format attractiveness from the consumers’ point of view. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research 18 (4): 381–403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teller, C. and Elms, J.R. (2009) Managing the attractiveness of evolved and created retail agglomeration formats. Marketing Intelligence and Planning 28 (1): 25–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teller, C. and Reutterer, T. (2008) The evolving concept of retail attractiveness: What makes retail agglomerations attractive when customers shop at them? Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 15 (3): 127–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teller, C., Reutterer, T. and Schnedlitz, P. (2008) Hedonic and utilitarian shopper types and created retail agglomerations. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research 18 (3): 283–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Therkelsen, A. and Halkier, H. (2004) Umbrella place branding: A study of friendly exoticism and exotic friendliness in coordinated national tourism and investment promotion.

  • Ulaga, W., Sharma, A. and Krishnan, R. (2002) Plant location and place marketing: Understanding the process from the business customer's perspective. Industrial Marketing Management 31 (5): 393–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van den Berg, L. and Braun, E. (1999) Urban competitiveness, marketing and the need for organising capacity. Urban Studies 36 (5/6): 987–999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van den Berg, L., Klaassen, L.H. and van der Meer, J. (1990) Marketing Metropolitan Regions. Rotterdam, the Netherlands: European Institute for Comparative Urban Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ward, S.V. and Gold, J.R. (1994) Introduction. In: J.R. Gold and S.V. Ward (eds.) Place Promotion: The Use of Publicity and Marketing to Sell Towns and Regions. Chichester, UK: John Wiley, pp. 1–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warnaby, G., Bennison, D. and Davies, B.J. (2005) Retailing and the marketing of urban places: A UK perspective. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research 15 (2): 191–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warnaby, G., Bennison, D., Davies, B.J. and Hughes, H. (2002) Marketing UK towns and cities as shopping destinations. Journal of Marketing Management 18 (9–10): 877–904.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warnaby, G., Bennison, D. and Medway, D. (2006) The role of SME retailers in locational differentiation. In: D. Bennison (ed.) Proceedings of the CIRM Conference – Destinations and Locations: Exploring the Multiple Identities of Place. Manchester: Manchester Metropolitan University, pp. 167–173.

  • Warnaby, G. and Medway, D. (2004) The role of place marketing as a competitive response by town centres to out-of-town retail developments. International Review of Retail Distribution and Consumer Research 14 (4): 457–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitehand, J. (1983) Land-use structure, built form and agents of change. In: R. Davies and A. Champion (eds.) The Future for the City Centre. London: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, C.C. (1992) The contribution of regional shopping centres to local economic development: Threat or opportunity? Area 24 (3): 289–294.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, C.C. (1996) Rethinking the role of retailing and consumer services in local economic development: A British perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 3 (1): 53–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Retail Studies, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK

    Christoph Teller

Authors
  1. Christoph Teller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jonathan R Elms
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jennifer A Thomson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Andrew R Paddison
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christoph Teller.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Teller, C., Elms, J., Thomson, J. et al. Place marketing and urban retail agglomerations: An examination of shoppers’ place attractiveness perceptions. Place Brand Public Dipl 6, 124–133 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1057/pb.2010.11

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/pb.2010.11

Keywords

Search

Navigation