Stores, hairdressers, pharmacies and gas stations are only a small segment of businesses in a local market that are unlikely to appear at the top of search results. However, they can (even without having their own websites) if all the business information is submitted to Google Maps (by means of Google My Business) and optimized accordingly.
The GMB platform is becoming so dominant because it delivers exactly what a user is looking for: accurate business information, reviews, and ratings; moreover, it is clear how to get to a specific place by providing routes.
By now,
Google accounts for over 90% of all web searches. When it determines that a user is searching for a place, services or business (local intent), it doesn't provide results with links to websites, thus neglecting this information. Instead Google gives the user a handy list of relevant businesses (Local Pack) that match the search criteria.
And this is a win-win situation: customers get what they were looking for – a list of places/businesses to choose from – and Google keeps searchers on its own site (search page) for longer.