Analysis of Location and Distribution Pattern of Modern Shopping Centers in Gusau Town Zamfara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Research on modern shopping centers in Nigeria concentrated on the regional shopping centers in bigger cities and towns neglecting the growing modern shopping centers in smaller towns and cities, which are changing the retail landscape of the country. Not only that, majority are concentrated on the customers’ patronage pattern of these shopping centers and the influencing factors and ignored the relevance of location and distribution pattern in the development and sustainability of these shopping centers. The objective of the study was to analyze the spatial location and distribution pattern of modern shopping centers in Gusau Town Zamfara State, Nigeria. Five shopping centers were selected purposively for in-depth interview. Coordinates of the shopping centers were collected through the use of android-based GPS application, their sizes were measured using measuring wheel and factors of location and distribution was collected through in-depth interview. Spatial analysis tool and Nearest Neighbor Analysis tool of ArcGIS 10.0v were used to show the location and determine distribution pattern of the shopping centers. It was discovered that majority of the shopping centers are located along major roads networks of the town and within/close to middle- and high-income residential areas. The result also shows that, the distribution pattern of the shopping centers is disperse, with observed mean distance of 770.6 meters, nearest neighbor ratio of 1.40 and Z-score of 2.55, with a 5% likelihood that the disperse pattern is as a result of random chance, i.e. the disperse pattern was not as a result of random choice of site/location but careful review and selection of site. The P-value of 0.0109 indicates a significant difference from a random pattern. It is recommended that more investment should be made in the development of these shopping centers as they possess the potentials of creating jobs and raising commercial viability of the town. This is achievable through public private partnership or foreign direct investment.