The concept of a cluster mechanism for ensuring the competitiveness of a retail network in the region

Research on the mechanisms of ensuring the competitiveness of the retail network in the region is associated with the trend of growth in the range of services in commodity flows, the transformation of the content of the retail network and its transformation into a generator of goods flows and services in both the wholesale and retail market segments, while increasing competition in the regional markets of retail chains of federal and regional scales. To ensure the competitiveness of the retail network in the region, the authors consider effective management of cost variability in commodity flows to be an important factor. The paper substantiates and applies the provisions of cluster theory to the development of the concept of competitiveness of a retail network, taking into account the effectiveness of services in the system of economic, organizational and managerial relations in the value chain. The practical significance is due to the development of an integrated system for evaluating the competitive advantages of the retail network functions. The recommendations and suggestions formulated by the authors can be used in the economic activities of retail chains and in the educational process of universities of the Russian Federation.