Purpose The article examines the impact of the closures of department stores on the geography of retailing in the United Kingdom and the supply of shops in different types of shopping centres. Design/methodology/approach A three-step process was adopted to address the task. First, a list of closed department stores was identified. Second, the analysis draws on the CoStar database that provides information on real estate transactions from property agents. For each of the closed stores information was collected on what had happened since the store ceased trading, so whether the unit had been relet, sub-divided, use changed or remained vacant or a combination of these. A third step was the supplementation of this information with searches of news outlets such as the BBC and local newspapers to provide more detail. Findings The findings from the empirical analysis show that large regional centres have coped reasonably well with the demise of department stores, as have retail parks and large out-of-town centres. Nevertheless, there have been some changes of use for these vacant stores, notably to residential and leisure in city centres. Offices have also offered an alternative use. The long-term decline of small centres over decades has been amplified by the closure of their department stores that were probably the largest store in the locality. A high percentage remain empty while others have been converted to other uses, so that a significant majority of former department stores have been lost to retailing in these localities. Given that these stores acted as core attractions to shoppers in these small towns who then also visited other retail businesses, there is an existential crisis of local retail function unfolding for small centres. Originality/value This is the first article that assesses the impact of the widespread closure of department stores on the retail hierarchy. While the research is based on the United Kingdom, the findings almost certainly have a resonance for other countries.
Purpose Strong evidence shows gender-diverse workforces bring real benefits to organisational performance, innovation, and stakeholder engagement. Despite this, women remain underrepresented in Australia's property valuation profession. This study explores the experiences and views of female valuers to understand the structural, cultural, and social factors keeping this imbalance in place, and to propose practical strategies for change. Design/methodology/approach This study used a qualitative approach, based on a focus group discussion with twelve female valuers from private and government valuation firms in Melbourne, Australia. Participants were purposively selected to include senior practitioners across different valuation specialisations. The data were analysed using Braun and Clarke (2006) six-phase thematic analysis approach. Findings The findings clearly reveal a profession still deeply characterised by male dominance, with gender inequality operating with particular intensity in the commercial valuation subsector. Persistent social and cultural biases, discriminatory recruitment and promotion practices, the grey ceiling, inflexible project structures, and unpaid caregiving burdens collectively limit the entry, advancement, and retention of female valuers industry-wide. Diversity efforts are widely seen as performative rather than substantive. A notable counter-narrative also emerged: female valuers offer distinctive professional capabilities that can enhance service delivery in culturally specific contexts, representing an underutilised strategic asset for valuation firms. Originality/value This study contributes to an underexplored area of gender studies in property, advancing theory and practical guidance through frameworks of gendered organisations, intersectionality, and diversity work. Recommendations target valuation firms, professional bodies, and institutions, offering a multi-level blueprint for gender equity in Australian valuation.
Purpose This study investigates adaptive resilience of high streets in emerging markets under a “triple shock”: the COVID-19 pandemic, hyperinflationary economic volatility and intense urban transformation. The study demonstrates how functional diversity acts as an enabler for high street evolution from a “transaction-oriented” structure to an “experience-oriented” cluster of activities. Design/methodology/approach The study employs a longitudinal field investigation of a premier retail corridor of Bagdat Avenue, Istanbul, Türkiye. Data were collected through on-site surveys of 209 buildings including 318–368 retail units across 2020, 2021 and 2025. Functional diversity was operationalised through a standardized sectoral taxonomy and using non-parametric testing structural changes over time have been assessed. Findings The study reveals that despite unfavourable economic conditions and subsequent uncertainty, vacancies declined dramatically between 2020 and 2025. This recovery was not a “return to the old normal” but a functional transformation. While financial services contracted due to digitalization and increasing rents, the avenue “bounced forward” through expansion of experience economy, specifically in cafe and restaurant, personal care and cosmetics and jewellery and accessories sectors. Although core retail functions remained structurally stable, the high street evolved from a transaction-oriented environment toward an “experience-oriented” indulgence environment. Originality/value This study contributes to high street resilience theory by empirically demonstrating how functional diversity operates as a dynamic risk-mitigation mechanism under multiple concurrent external shocks. Findings from this research challenge narratives of high street decline and offer actionable insights for place-makers, investors and policy-makers seeking to enhance the adaptive capacity of prime urban retail streets.
Purpose This study aims to examine the determinants and within-report consistency of appraisal adjustment coefficients in residential land valuation and develops a regression-based screening framework for quality-control review. Design/methodology/approach Using 168 paired subject–comparable records from 56 valuation reports in Ho Chi Minh City, we estimated ordinary least squares regression with report-clustered standard errors and within-report fixed-effects analysis. Residual-based screening thresholds classified reports into four quality-control tiers. Findings Location-type mismatch and area dissimilarity are the primary drivers of adjustment magnitude, with each one-tier location difference corresponding to a 4.6-percentage-point change. Within-report analysis supports broad proportionality between adjustments and composite dissimilarity, and the framework flags 25 per cent of reports for review. Leave-one-report-out validation showed bounded out-of-sample value (RMSE 0.079, with about 82 per cent of predictions within ±0.10). Research limitations/implications The sample is from a single valuation firm in one former district; multi-firm replication is needed. The adjustment coefficient is an overall ratio, not a decomposition of individual attribute-level adjustments. Practical implications The screening framework offers valuation firms a first-stage internal review tool. The identified determinants provide an empirical reference point for regulators implementing Vietnam's 2024 Valuation Standards. Originality/value This study provides rare paired subject–comparable evidence from an emerging housing market, introduces a within-report proportionality test exploiting the nested structure of multi-comparable reports and translates findings into a practical quality-control tool for residential valuation practice.
Purpose This paper attempts to examine the role of social attitudes, environmental knowledge and perceived behavioural control in determining green real estate purchase intention. Furthermore, the study also analyses the mediating effects of eco shame between environmental knowledge and green real estate purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative study was conducted with 388 prospective homebuyers, selected based on the will to buy property in the near future. The study employs structural equation modelling to assess how the variables relate to each other and validate the proposed hypotheses. Findings The findings revealed that green real estate intention is significantly impacted by social attitude, environmental knowledge and control perceived behaviour. Further, the role of eco-shame mediates the relation between environmental understanding and purchasing behaviour to some degree, suggesting the possibility that green-aware consumers respond with more instances of eco-shame, improving their willingness to purchase green housing. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to psychological and social factors, perhaps indicating shifting tastes over time. Future studies may explore green real estate purchasing behaviour in different demographic and geographic settings, as well as explore how regulatory actions or financial incentives affect consumer behaviour. Practical implications This study provides helpful insights for real estate developers, policy-makers and marketers in assessing the importance of eco-awareness in influencing green housing demand. The developer can direct attention to environmental features within their housing projects; policy-makers may improve upon incentives and eco-certifications to increase adoption rates; marketers can engage in campaigns that harness the knowledge of the environment and hybrids of personal responsibility and social attitudes that construct a framework so consumers can respond to seeing their green housing purchase as synonymous with sustainable and socially acceptable housing. Overall, these efforts can improve consumer willingness to purchase sustainable real estate. Social implications The findings highlight the avenues that eco-awareness and eco-shame influence structural social change through the promotion of green housing. When members of social networks view green housing as a socially desirable change, it can generate collectively activated behavioural shifts towards more sustainable living. The societal benefits can be immense: reduced ecological footprints, healthier communities, more environmental stewardship, etc. As this research showed, highlighting green housing has the potential to connect individual-level responsibility to group well-being, producing lasting social and environmental dividends. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is among the very first to discuss the mediating role of eco-shame in the intention of buying green property. It presents significant implications for policy-makers, real estate developers and marketers through the highlighting of key behavioural factors affecting consumer choices for sustainable property.
