Small shops in towns and villages are closing and replaced by big stores. Explain your opinion. - Ielts Essay

Small shops in towns and villages are closing and replaced by big stores. Explain your opinion.

 

Ielts Essay - Big Shops and Small Shops 

Nowadays, it is quite common to see new mega markets or branches of some big retail chains opening up around, regardless of area - urban or rural, but are the large stores superseding smaller outlets, is a point to be pondered deeply. 

It is undeniable that large format stores are being seen future of retail. Slowly but steadily, the crowds at the  small stores are thinning, thus making it hard for small scale businesses, with limited investments, to survive onslaught of large shops.  The reasons are quite obvious as large shops offer consumers a much wider  choice, in terms of merchandise types, prices, and brands. This is causing disenchantment, among buyers, from the local shops, which cannot offer anything comparable to mega stores.

Moreover, smaller outlets may soon become a thing of past as more and more investors are now choosing franchisees of big retail chains over independent ventures. In the times of worsening economic conditions, investors want to be assured that their money would not only remain secure but also guarantee fair returns. This can only be had if they opted for an arrangement that promises more fresh and zero dead stocks - without additional investments. This business model can only accessed if one chooses to become a franchisee of large chain stores.

However, many are optimistic that small scale outlets would survive, regardless of multitude of investments involved. The fashion of shopping at conventional stores refuses to  fade away since many feel that mega stores belong to an elite crowd that has an abundance of money and time to waste, and thus they still cling to the smaller neighborhood stores.

Hence, I feel even though many may feel that small format stores will cease to exist, that may never happen. Small-scale shops have existed and are still there as they address a different segment of market though these two format will tend to co-exist.