Shopping Facilities and Mobility Behaviour in East Germany: The Significance of Distance in the Choice of Store for Grocery Shopping

Abstract

After the collapse of the socialist system, far-reaching structural changes took place in East Germany, with particular rapidity in two specific areas: in retailing with the trend towards large-scale outlets in peripheral locations, and in passenger transport with the trend towards longer journeys made by car. As far as attractive local retail facilities are concerned, it is important to establish what potential they have in this specific context with regards to both supply and demand. A closely linked issue is that of the significance of distance as a determining factor in the choice of store for grocery shopping. This article presents significant findings of empirical case studies which analysed the extent of actual use of existing local retail facilities at the level of individual households, taking into account differentiating characteristics with regard to both supply and demand. The findings from the urban and rural case study areas show that distance-related transport behaviour in grocery shopping is highly heterogeneous. The more comprehensive and modern the shopping facilities in a neighbourhood are, the closer these shops, the greater is the likelihood that local shopping facilities will be used; smaller, car-less households shop significantly more frequently in their immediate neighbourhood than larger, car-owning households, especially in rural areas. On the whole, while many motorised households avail of shopping facilities in their immediate neighbourhood so long as the range of goods on offer is large and competively priced, quite a number of households do not use these facilities but undertake quite long car journeys to alternative shopping destinations instead. The empirical results show that distance, as a negative time and cost factor in the choice of shopping destination, is of only moderate significance for numerous households. Such a pattern of preferences reflects the fact that East German society has a particular affinity to consumption and automobility, which has its roots in the socialist era and established itself with

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