Abstract
The law of large-scale retail stores (LSs) had economically regulated their new location and operation until 2000, and a completely new law for the location of LSs came into effect from June 2000. The study analyzes the location ofLSs and consumers' shopping behavior during 1990's in Niigata Prefecture, and assesses traffic and living environment around some of LSs as a case study. The number of newly opened LSs grew very high during 1990's throughout Niigata Prefecture. Vitality of central shopping areas declined in most of cities. Inhabitants around the LSs revealed a unsatisfactory opinion mostly towards traffic jams of access route and traffic noise, particularly during operating hours late at night. The paper discusses several enforcement and operation issues to be faced by the new location law which are to environmentally assess impacts of the location of LSs.
