Larger stores and neighborhood customers
Build three larger retail formats and reach customers in nearby neighborhoods. Store size and the location of residents now shape retail traffic.
Three new retail blueprints are available:
- Department Store: 1,200 m² of sales floor and 33 product types across groceries, clothing, electronics and household essentials.
- Hypermarket: 2,400 m² of sales floor and 43 product types combining groceries, electronics, clothing and home-improvement supplies.
- Home Improvement Center: 1,000 m² of sales floor and 18 product types covering building materials, tools, electronics and textiles.
Larger floors support more checkouts. All product lines share each store's checkout capacity and compete for customers within the city's existing demand. Sales still depend on stock, prices and staffing.
Neighborhoods now determine who can visit. Citizens shop from their home neighborhood, including shared households and hotel lodging. Citizens without housing have a stable local area too. Small stores serve nearby residents; larger sales floors extend the customer radius. Dense central neighborhoods offer more potential customers, while suburban stores depend on their local population and reach.
The radius uses the game's modeled city neighborhoods. Check a blueprint's customer radius before building and see the reachable population in an operating store's Sales overview. A wider radius makes more residents eligible to visit; it does not create demand or guarantee purchases.
These formats need larger plots, more construction materials and larger teams: 17 staff for a Department Store, 28 for a Hypermarket and 12 for a Home Improvement Center. Compare their land, construction and payroll requirements before building.