Service relationship, market area and the intrametropolitan location of business services

Drawing on the results of a survey conducted in the Lyon metropolitan area (France), this article shows that the localisation strategies of business services within a metropolitan area depend on the nature of the relationship between the service provider and the customer and the size of the market area. When face-to-face meetings with customers are required, those activities which sell their services within the metropolitan area attempt to locate near their market and those whose customers are essentially outside the metropolitan area choose the centre because of its easy access to motorways, the TGV station and the airport. Otherwise, an accessible peripheral site can be perfectly suitable, whatever the firm's market area.