Mobile Food Stores and Rural Retail Access: Evidence from Czechia

The study examines mobile food stores (MFS) as a form of rural retail shaped by the post-socialist transition and retail restructuring in Czechia. It traces their historical development, maps current distribution, and assesses their role in municipalities without permanent grocery stores. The analysis combines archival research, a 2024 survey of 1,868 municipalities (>600 responses), Welch’s two-tailed t-tests, and logistic regression. Results show that MFS are significantly more likely in small and sparsely populated municipalities. Despite economic fragility, MFS provide basic supply and social functions, representing an adaptive service form shaped by broader rural service withdrawal and post-socialist retail restructuring.