Abstract:
Street retail shops are an emblematic image of the Sri Lankan urban landscape. Retail shops vary in size, sell a diversity of household,
mechanical and convenience items and appear as an integral part of urban form. While retails shops provide essential services to a variety of
consumers generate employment and make urban streets vibrant, there have been few investigations into the nature of retail form in Sri
Lanka. It appears that the global spread of supermarkets and shopping malls are transforming the retail space in Sri Lankan cities.
Utilising field observation data, this study investigates the extent to which traditional retail outlets dominate the retail form in the urban
landscape, creates employment, and attracts customers. This study also examines to what extent city retail outlets are retained as shop
houses. Results show that while Sri Lankan traditional small retail shops form a greater number of retail shops and continue to be an
emblem of the urban landscape, the development of a few new shopping malls and supermarkets have impacted the daily shopping behaviour
of people and are slowly transforming the retail form as well as urban landscape.
