By Ricardo Gomez-Insausti and Jim Simmons

 For more than a decade the CSCA has monitored changes in the spatial structure and distribution of commercial activities in Canada.  At the national scale, many smaller urban markets are declining, as growth has become concentrated within half-a-dozen metropolitan regions that now absorb ninety per cent of the national growth.  Within the metropolitan areas the hierarchy of shopping centres that dominated location choices fifteen years ago has given way to power centres, arterial strips and industrial zones that now attract big box stores and a variety of services.  Based on analysis of the CSCA's corporate database this research letter presents an overview of the locational preferences of Canada's leading retailers.  The paper highlights that at all spatial scales, retailers are exploring new locational alternatives in order to reach new customers and serve their existing customers more effectively.