L'evolution du commerce brestois - dynamiques spatiales et strategies des acteurs

Evolution within retail commercial circles in brest - spatial dynamics and strategic options

• Auteur / Autrice : René-Paul Desse
• Direction : Alain Metton
• Type : Thèse de doctorat
• Discipline(s) : Géographie
• Date : Soutenance en 1996
• Etablissement(s) : Paris 12

Résumé

Par essence, la fonction commerciale porte la marque du territoire ou elle est implantee. L'espace commercial n'est pas seulement un support. S'il a ses propres lois de repartition, de differenciation et ses proprietes caracteristiques, il est aussi enjeu entre les acteurs du commerce : consommateurs, commercants, collectivites locales sont partie prenante dans cette activite economique. Notre problematique principale de depart porte sur le degre d'interaction entre les dynamiques spatiales de l'appareil commercial et les dynamiques de l'espace urbain et de ses acteurs. La dualite centre-peripherie n'apparait plus comme un concept judicieux pour envisager l'eparpillement des centralites commerciales actuelles. L'equipement des principales sorties de l'agglomeration en grandes et moyennes surfaces specialisees a quelque peu transforme les rapports de force notamment la hierarchisation des espaces commerciaux entre eux. A partir des annees quatre-vingt, il est devenu de plus en plus difficile d'opposer un centre, caracterise par des commerces de forte anomalite, premier pole commercant de l'agglomeration, a des marges vouees a l'alimentaire banal. La diversification du commerce de peripherie a rendu plus confuse l'ancienne repartition spatiale des specialites commerciales. Un systeme multipolaire, plus complexe a succede progressivement a l'organisation commerciale classique. Au dela de ces transformations de la donne commerciale au profit de la peripherie, le moteur de la mutation de la ville, c'est bien la mobilite croissante des menages. La motorisation voire la bimotorisation determinent un recul de la proximite et permettent un deploiement spatial de la fonction commerciale.

It is obvious that commercial enterprise is highly influenced by the territory where it is established. A commercial shopping area is not merely a surface area. Although it has its own characteristic features and laws of distribution and differentiation, it also constitutes a conflict of interest between the actors involved : consumers, traders and local authorities. The main point of the study focuses on the relationship between the spatial dynamics of a commercial shopping area and the dynamics generated by urban quarters and its actors. The opposition which exists between the town centre and the periphery does not seem to be well suited to today's shopping areas which are spread out on the outskirts of a town. The main roads leading into a town are nowadays lined with large specialised shops (minimum surface area 400 m), so there has been an evolution in the power struggle between the different commercial shopping areas. Since the 1980's it has become increasingly difficult to oppose a town centre composed of highly specialised shops which constitutes the main shopping area to shops selling common foodstuffs on the outskirts. The diversification of retail businesses situated in the periphery has meant that the former spatial distribution of specialised shopping areas has become much more complex. A multi-center system has gradually taken over the traditional organisation of retail commerce. Another reason for the transformation of commerce in favour of the periphery has been the ever-increasing mobility of town dwellers.