Planned management of retail facilities in North Rhine-Westphalia For many years shopping has meant more in people’s lives than the provision of food and goods, it is also a leisure activity. The multi-faceted quality of this basic need is thus a determining factor for the development of local and supra-local settlement structure. To ensure long-term regional settlement development that will minimise impacts on open space and support the functions of (the central areas of) towns and cities, new legally-watertight and effective state and regional planning regulations are required that will allow conflict-free cooperation between the various towns and municipalities of a region. The most important issues for the spatial planning management of large-scale retail facilities are examined from a multidisciplinary viewpoint. This publication presents many ideas and suggestions concerning ways in which state and regional planning could support and supplement municipal land-use planning in order to contribute towards the provision of optimal retail services for the population.