The progress of the trade function in the municipality of Roman

For the municipality of Roman (old Moldavian borough, formally attested in 1392, favorably positioned, from a geographical perspective, at the confluence of two rivers: Moldova and Siret, on the grand trade route across Moldavia), the trade activity, along with the strategic function, underlied the foundation of the borough that later became the medieval town. Within this context, after a brief overview of the trade function in the Middle and Modern Ages (regarding the factors that influenced the trade with agricultural, manufactured and industrial products, the traders’ number, the positioning of the marketplaces, storehouses and fairs), we were able to configure - based on more accurate and enriched statistics, for the contemporary period and its two subdivisions - the present commercial profile of the town, as well as its particular features, in terms of quality, quantity, dynamics, structure, position and marketing. Thus, we proceeded to the study of the following items: the dynamics and typology of the commercial unities (using as a criteria the personnel number, the type of the practiced trade, the merchandise structure), the urban positioning, the dynamics of the personnel involved in trade activities, as well as Roman’s external commercial partners. Using statistical indices and indicators for dynamics, structure and density, we made references to the level of development of the trade function (and mainly of the wholesale and retail trade put to the service of approximately 70 000 inhabitants) and to Roman’s immediate, near and peripheral areas of commercial influence. As a conclusion, we made some propositions regarding the expansion of the commercial function that currently employs over 3 000 people (that is 12.3 % of the urban active population)