Mobile shops, sales vans, shopping vans, retail vehicles, etc. are motor vehicles accommodated for small retail sales of various kind. The common types are specializing in food delivery and catering (food trucks, ice cream vans, milk floats), but in some places a more general retail is known, typically to deliver goods to remote places with difficult access to regular shops.

Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic

In the First Czechoslovak Republic there were mobile sellers, modified from tram cars, of tram tickets in Prague and Brno."Z brněnské elektrické dráhy", Moravský deník, 20 January 1937 (limited access)An article in Pestrý týden, 9 June, 1928, (limited access)

In Socialist Czechoslovakia, a major operator of mobile shops was the .Archiv ČT24 | Prodejny a prodejci | Část: Pojízdné prodejny olomoucké Jednoty (1982) Mobile shops operated in remote villages, as well as in seasonal recreational sites without permanent infrastructure. At the heyday, there were hundreds of mobile shops. After 1989 the operations of Jednota mobile shops nearly ceased, for various reasons, but they still operate in some areas. Under the influence of other countries food trucks started operating, albeit in other way around: brinning fresh farm produce into the sities.Vzestup a pád pojízdných prodejen. Znovu se vrací?, Czech Radio

Germany

In East Germany the Konsum cooperative network operated sales vans in remote rural areas with difficult access to industrial goods. Their major state-owned competitor, Handelsorganisation operated Verkaufswagen as well.

Notes

Soviet Union and post-Soviet states The Lutsk Automobile Plant (LuAZ) in the Soviet Union (now in Ukraine) manufactured three types of retail vehicles: trailer shop LuMZ-825 Луцкий автомобильный завод (ЛуАЗ) | ЛуМЗ-825 avtolavka LuMZ-827 based on the chassis of GAZ-51A, with a single access to the body from the back; it can also pull the trailer LuMZ-825,Луцкий автомобильный завод (ЛуАЗ) | ЛуМЗ-827 and avtolavka LuAZ-3720 (ЛуAЗ-3720)

Russia, Belarus, Ukraine etymology: avtomobil + лавка (smal shop).

Estonia

; synonyms: , also "avtolavka", "lahvka" - colloquial, borrowed from Russian, mixed etymology: rändpood, Institute of the Estonian Language

A mobile shop is defined as "a vehicle adapted as a mobile point of sale, mainly selling food and basic necessities".

In the Soviet Estonia avtolavkas were managed by the unified Estonian Republican Union of Consumer Cooperatives (now ).Эстонская потребкооперация: От советского ЭРСПО до европейского Coop, 8 February 2024Stena

In 2015, a family-owned business Lasteriided Ratastel (literally "Children's clothes on wheels") started operating mobile shop for children's clothing and shoes.Lastekaupadele loodi liikuv pood

The Consumers' Association of the island of Hiiumaa operated a retail vehicle purchased in Finland since 1994.Kollane rändpood sai aastaseks In 2017 a new retail vehicle will be operated by Hiiumaa division of Selver brand.Uus rändpood läheb esimesele ringile

Finland

The first mobile shops were introduced by the in early 1930s. It the 1950s, at their peak time, there were about 1,200 shop vans. Gradually their numbers dwindled.Myymäläauton kuljettaja saattoi jopa ruokkia koiran ["The shop van driver might even feed the dog"], YLE Turku, 6 May, 2010 In 2014 there were about 30 of them.Kauppa-auto kurvasi kylille, Viikkoset, February 16, 2014In 2018, only six mobile shops left. Five of them operate in the rural areas of Eastern Finland and one in the Kankaanpää region.Henrietta Nyberg, on koko Suomessa enää kuusi – ”Hautausmaa on suurin kilpailijamme” A detailed study of Finnish mobile shops may be found in Jussi Lehtonen's Ph.D. thesis Scenarios of services in the countryside: shops, libraries, banks and post offices of the past, present and futureJussi Lehtonen, Skenaarioita maaseudun palveluista. Kaupat, kirjastot, pankit ja postit historiasta tulevaisuuksiin, 2016

In 2014, the Estonian Road Museum received a Finnish retail vehicle which was also operated by Estonian business Tilsico OÜ for five years.Maanteemuuseumis avab uksed kauplusbuss

Switzerland

The Migros retail company was founded in 1925 with the idea of truck delivery (based on Ford Model T trucks) of six basic products at low prices to householders who did not have ready access to markets of any kind. In 1960s, their operations peaked, with 144 trucks in operation. The operations gradually declined, especially in 1990s, due to the competition from the chain stores and the improved customers' mobility. Xavier Filliez, Les camions-magasins, à l'origine de l'aventure Migros Les cinq premiers camions-magasins, from the timeline of Migros

See also Bookmobile

References