The Emerging Strategies for Longevity, Succession, and Sustainability of Rural Family-Owned Retail Businesses (RFORBs) in Developing Countries

Despite a growing body of literature on family business, succession, and intergenerational transition challenges, few studies have addressed the same family businesses in a rural-sector context. Yet, they play critical socio-economic roles- enhancing social integration, serving as commercial hubs that supply essential goods and services, and supporting vulnerable households, including facilitating trade in the most remote market. The study investigates emerging strategies for business endurance and sustainability in rural retail family enterprises in developing economies. A PRISMA-guided systematic literature review of 27 journal papers focusing on developing countries was conducted, and a thematic synthesis was conducted alongside a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer version 1.6.20, focusing on keyword analysis, thematic mapping, and clustering to identify emerging themes in rural family-owned businesses transitioning to long-term survival across generations. The findings uncovered key emerging innovation strategies: digitalisation, financial inclusion, and consumer-oriented innovation that enhances resilience and long-term sustainability. Also, the study concludes that vision trap, entrepreneurial traits, occult beliefs or supernatural power, resource availability and capacity are the major barriers to longevity of rural family-owned retail businesses. The study recommends government policy reforms that prioritise the accessibility of digital infrastructure, such as digital devices and networks, as well as financial inclusion. Along with pro-green-energy policy reforms, to enhance the affordability of solar energy- solar Photovoltaic (PV) schemes, to advance digital transformation and improve service provision in remote areas.