O Urbano E As Mercadorias: As Instalações Dos Estabelecimentos De Redes Comerciais Atacadistas E Varejistas Na Cidade De Timon-Maranhão (2010-2021)

Commercial activities are at the heart of cities and urbanization. In this scenario, this research aimed to analyze the facilities and spatial dynamics of companies through their branches/representations in mediumsized cities, presenting as a case study the city of Timon (MA) in the period 2010-2021. In addition, we also sought to characterize the dynamics of urban growth in Timon; identify the companies that settled in the municipality and that are part of business networks outside the city; relate possible attractive factors that the city has for companies to set up their branches/representatives; and highlight the spatiality of the companies (branches/representatives) that settled there. In this aspect, the concepts of city, urbanization and spatial relations/exchanges were fundamental in the process of identifying and understanding the attractiveness of the city for commercial companies in the last decade, and what their contributions to the economic sustainability of the municipality are. It should be noted that the research methodology was interdisciplinary, based on qualitative aspects, and involved bibliographic, documentary and empirical studies. The data collected indicated that the city of Timon received, during the research period, 114 companies, which operate in various commercial sectors, with origins from different regions of the country, and are spread throughout the urban fabric of the city, with the central region being the one with the largest concentration of them. Methods:. In order to pursue the objectives, exploratory research was chosen as the methodological path, and as for the procedures, field research; a bibliographic survey was also carried out in repositories; the field approach included technical visits to four communities in the rural area, selected with the support of the Timon Rural Workers Union: Zumbi Community, Bambus Village, Cupins Village and Inhumas Village. Results: In recent years, the city of Timon (MA) has shown significant advances and growth in terms of population, infrastructure, education, health and commerce, especially retail, wholesale and wholesale. In total, 114 companies/branches from different sectors of retail and/or wholesale trade were identified that settled in the municipality of Timon, coming from the state of Maranhão, but also from other regions, in the period between 2010 and 2021, which operate in various sectors of the economy, such as supermarket chains, pharmacies/drugstores, construction materials and department stores, among others. Conclusion:. Considering the results of this research project, it is possible to conclude that the city of Timon, in the period between 2010 and 2021, attracted an estimated number of organizations, especially those operating in the retail and wholesale sectors, and that it has gradually consolidated itself over the years as a city with considerable power of attraction for the commercial segment