THE EVALUATION OF LOCATION SELECTION FOR SHOPPING CENTERS IN TURKEY: THE CASE OF ISTANBUL

Today, Shopping centers are not places that only respond to shopping needs but they have become structures that offer social activities and various facilities, as well. Cinemas, children’s playground, entertainment and recreation areas, restaurants and food departments are the components of shopping centers; they immediately entered the daily life activities of costumers. Today, costumers mostly prefer these shopping centers that are in different sizes and categories and which are half-open or fully-covered; they have become places where people choose to go as they help protect people from unfavorable weather conditions, additionally they respond working population’s needs for shopping, sports and entertainment. This study looks into the factors that are influential on the preferences for shopping center location selection and explains these factors through a conceptual model. By means of a comprehensive literature search, the theoretical framework of the factors affecting the causes of preference is established and relevant research questions are chosen. Thus, the theoretical foundations of the model have been created. The field research includes the companies that operate in Istanbul but making shopping center investments all over Turkey. In this study, among the qualitative research methods, in-depth interview technique and interview form approach are preferred. Interviews have been held with people from project development departments of the companies investing on shopping centers pursuing different characteristics. The survey was maden in 23 different shopping center developer companies and 108 questionnaires in total have been given by using face-to-face interview technique. The results of the study have been evaluated by applying Analytical Hierarchy Process method. AHP can be defined as the decision-making and estimating method, which gives the percentage distribution of decision points in terms of factors affecting decisions; it is used in the identification of decision hierarchy. This study aims at becoming a source for shopping centre investors, developers, architects and other related disciplines; additionally, expects all these sides to act with the knowledge of what is expected from them.