Kuksin Ya.K., Barinshtein A. M., Aleksandrov E. A., Rachkov T. V.,  Krasnoperov M. V., Mayorov D. A. Serving both the village and the city: Marketplaces as a factor of transformation of trade and everyday life in small towns and rural areas in the Nizhny Novgorod Region // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №3. P. 194-218.

EDN: VQIYWF

Annotation

The study aims at understanding the effects on trade and population of the largest marketplaces expansion into small towns and rural settlements in the Nizhny Novgorod Region. On the example of 47 settlements in 16 municipalities, the authors consider how pickup points transform trade and everyday life in rural areas using the methods of interview with marketplace employees, local residents and business representatives, spatial and statistical analysis. The article describes the geographical expansion of pickup point networks — from the pandemic period to the current stage of rural development. The authors emphasize the dual impact of digitalization: on one hand, it leads to the decline of traditional markets; on the other hand, it helps small grocery stores survive. The article pays particular attention to the adaptive strategies in opening pickup points: on the basis of grocery stores and post offices, for one’s needs or for one’s business logistics. The authors identify general effects of the marketplaces expansion: the weakening position of local offline non-food retail, expanded consumption opportunities and increased convenience for local residents, and a reduction in their consumer mobility. The study shows the link between settlement size, type and status and the variation in effects transforming both life and trade. The findings offer a new perspective on the interaction between online platforms, traditional retail and rural lifestyles, allowing for an assessment of how these processes influence space-time compression, related markets and the characteristics of place.

Keywords

Marketplaces, pickup points, transformation of lifestyle, transformation of trade, Nizhny Novgorod Region, rural areas, small towns.  

About the authors

Yaroslav K. Kuksin, Master’s Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Leninskie Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991.
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Anna M. Barinshtein, Student, Faculty of Geography and Geoinformation Technology, HSE University. Pokrovsky Bl., 11, Moscow, 109028.
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Evgeny A. Aleksandrov, Master’s Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Leninskie Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991.
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Timofei V. Rachkov, Master’s Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Leninskie Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991.
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Maksim V. Krasnoperov, Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Leninskie Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991.
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Dmitry A. Mayorov, Master’s Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Leninskie Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991.
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