Chapter 7 consumers

markets that have existed for hundreds of years across the towns and vil|_a^_es Europe. However, while informal retail spaces can thrive in developed m V^ contexts, they tend to operate around the margins of the mainstream fr, ^Ct retail sector. Informal retail spaces take on far greater significance in the conr of developing world cities, where such exchanges may be more important th_a formal sites of retailing. Examples are found on the streets of many Asian citi_es such as Bangkok and Hanoi, with small temporary stalls selling a huge variety ₀f goods, including freshly prepared snacks and meals and other foodstuffs (_Sej Figure 7.9a). In such contexts,informal retailing is central to the livelihood strate gies of many families and households. Estimates suggest that in the developj_n world, some 60 per cent of employment is provided by informal economic activity (ranging from 38 per cent in Latin America to 76 per cent in Africa) compared to 15 per cent across high-income countries (ILO 2018). While some of this work is constituted by small-scale manufacturing activity, a considerable proportion is derived from informal retailing activities. An estimated 45 per cent of non-farm informal employment in the city of Lome,Togo, for instance, is provided by infor­mal trading, of which half is associated with street vending; one in three women in the informal economy in Lome are street vendors (Roever and Skinner 2016).