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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1999

E. Silcock, G.P. Clarke, D.B. Clarke and N. Wrigley

Despite recent debates in the literature surrounding the notion of absolute saturation in European food retailing, it is clear that concerns over saturation provide a partial…

874

Abstract

Despite recent debates in the literature surrounding the notion of absolute saturation in European food retailing, it is clear that concerns over saturation provide a partial explanation for the search for new markets overseas. For two European retailers, Ahold and Sainsbury, the USA has provided such a new market. The aim of this paper is to compare briefly the variations in levels of provision between the UK and the USA and to then focus on an analysis of US state variations. Following a brief account of the changing structure of US food retailing, we present an analysis of its geographical dimensions, focusing on a discussion of possible opportunities for future growth in the US market.

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International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 27 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 2000

Ian Clarke

Focuses on the changing nature of retail competition and the way it affects local consumer choice in the UK grocery sector. Integrates relevant literature on the economic aspects…

17942

Abstract

Focuses on the changing nature of retail competition and the way it affects local consumer choice in the UK grocery sector. Integrates relevant literature on the economic aspects of competition with work on the changing corporate geographies of retailers. Links vertical market power (relative to suppliers) and multiple retailers’ ability to compete horizontally (relative to other retailers) in a given trading locality, and argues that this interaction has fundamentally altered the nature of competition. The increase in retail power that has resulted has served to redefine local consumer choice. Smaller retailers are disadvantaged by this shift because it has directly affected the store and product choices of consumer groups depending on their relative mobility. Argues for empirical work to ground and validate these assertions.

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European Journal of Marketing, vol. 34 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

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Publication date: 25 October 2018

Leigh Sparks

The UK food retailing sector has undergone a radical transformation over the last 70 or so years. It has become a sector dominated by very large businesses with considerable power…

Abstract

The UK food retailing sector has undergone a radical transformation over the last 70 or so years. It has become a sector dominated by very large businesses with considerable power over both the upstream and downstream supply chain. The scale and power of those leading retailers has attracted considerable academic focus and political attention. In the first two decades of the twenty-first century, global concern has emerged via a number of grand challenges including sustainability. Retailers have increasingly sought to address issues of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability, both to stave off criticism and for reasons of operational efficiency. The scale of the UK’s leading food retailers thus becomes a two-edged sword; should these retailers be co-opted in the fight for global sustainability or radically challenged as the cause of many of the problems? This chapter reviews the changing roles of food retailers, their steps in CSR and then poses the question as the future role of retailers in this changing environmental landscape.

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Food Retailing and Sustainable Development
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78714-554-2

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Article
Publication date: 12 October 2010

Nicholas Alexander and Anne Marie Doherty

The purpose of this paper is to consider the development of research in international retailing over the last 20 years and propose a future research agenda within a conceptual…

7407

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the development of research in international retailing over the last 20 years and propose a future research agenda within a conceptual framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews the development of the retail internationalisation literature.

Findings

Explains how different research topics have emerged over the years and how researchers have responded methodologically to the different research challenges encountered.

Research limitations/implications

The paper emphasises the importance of journals such as the International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management in the development of the international retailing research domain and discusses the challenge researchers currently have in developing the subject area.

Practical implications

Explores current understanding of the internationalisation process and through the consideration of different activities and processes within the international retail firm proposes a future research agenda.

Originality/value

The paper addresses the achievements of researchers in the area of international retailing over the last 20 years and, within a conceptual framework, explores those lacunae in the knowledge base that require further research.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 38 no. 11/12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

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Abstract

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Access to Destinations
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-08-044678-3

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Article
Publication date: 14 June 2013

Hai Thi Hong Nguyen, Steve Wood and Neil Wrigley

The purpose of this paper is to trace the modernisation of the retail structure of Vietnam from a closed market to one that is increasingly open to retail transnational…

1933

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to trace the modernisation of the retail structure of Vietnam from a closed market to one that is increasingly open to retail transnational corporation (TNC) entry and associated Western retail formats.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors undertake this study of retail change through the analysis of a wide range of governmental and industry secondary data – much of which has not entered western academic debate given the challenges of access and translation. In doing so, this period of adaptation is related to well‐known studies concerning the diffusion of western forms of retailing discussed across the social sciences.

Findings

As a country encountering the third wave of supermarket proliferation within emerging markets, Vietnam's experience is found to broadly fit the models of retail foreign direct investment (FDI) entry and retail “modernisation” suggested by Natawidjaja et al. and Dries et al. The retail change process was affected by a slow, progressive creep of market liberalisation where, as late as 2009, a foreign partner could hold only up to 49 per cent of capital in a joint venture. While analysis of the evidence suggests some retailers flouted these laws or employed creative approaches to mitigating their effects, such regulations clearly underpinned a less intense initial influx of retail FDI than had been experienced elsewhere in Asia and maintained a high domestic ownership level in the retail market. Retail modernisation has intensified in recent years, with greater international entry, expansion and retail format proliferation diffusing from cities to more rural locations, though the top five grocery operators still account for less than 4 per cent of the grocery market.

Originality/value

Studies within retail management of retail internationalisation have tended to focus on fully liberalised countries that have attracted high rates of retail capital. In contrast, this paper focuses on understanding the emergence of one of the countries somewhat later to these trends.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 41 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

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Article
Publication date: 26 April 2011

Nicholas Alexander, Mark Rhodes and Hayley Myers

The increasingly important role of international retail companies in the distribution and marketing of goods highlights important gaps in the literature. One of these gaps…

4852

Abstract

Purpose

The increasingly important role of international retail companies in the distribution and marketing of goods highlights important gaps in the literature. One of these gaps concerns a scientifically based understanding of the key, underlying drivers in the market selection process of such companies. The purpose of this paper is to establish a more robust understanding of international retailers' market selection process.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper econometrically tests hypotheses derived from recent literature and models the international actions of retailers based in 13 home and ten host markets.

Findings

The results highlight the importance of host market characteristics and the importance of understanding host market selections in the context of home market retail structural development and, by implication, the relative lack of importance of secondary managerial input factors.

Research limitations/implications

The model presented here fundamentally challenges assumptions concerning the role of managers in market selection decisions in the light of sustainable patterns of international activity.

Practical implications

These findings suggest that managers responsible for international market selection decisions do not have the freedom of action implied in the marketing literature and that their actions are constrained by structural market conditions.

Originality/value

The relationships identified explain six‐ to seven‐tenths of the pattern of expansion in the markets considered. This would suggest that managerial input is important in the process of marketing activity but that it is important within a broader framework.

Details

International Marketing Review, vol. 28 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-1335

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Article
Publication date: 16 March 2021

Sina Hardaker and Ling Zhang

The paper aims to investigate the new market entry strategy of the international grocery retailers Aldi Süd and Costco in China; analyzing if and how their prior-online market…

2791

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to investigate the new market entry strategy of the international grocery retailers Aldi Süd and Costco in China; analyzing if and how their prior-online market entry reflects a strategic response to organizational challenges in the Chinese market, which is a pioneer in the use of digital technologies and the provision of digital services.

Design/methodology/approach

The article identifies major challenges faced by international grocery retailers in China and discusses these with the help of the conceptual approach of embeddedness. The paper is based on expert interviews with senior executives of the two international retailers and other retail specialists and consultants.

Findings

The prior-online market entry by Aldi Süd and Costco represents a strategic response to organizational challenges that have to be faced in an increasingly challenging and highly digitalized Chinese market. Prior-online market entry allows the two retailers to experiment with the unique and heterogeneous Chinese market and build network and territorial embeddedness to facilitate the establishment of the physical store network. Both retailers utilize online stores to build relation and network with suppliers and customers and to understand Chinese consumer preferences. Yet, the localization strategy of Aldi Süd and Costco vary greatly.

Originality/value

Grocery retailers' prior-online expansion strategy has not yet been the focus of academic research. In regard to global grocery retailers, such as Aldi Süd and Costco, previous research argued that they were prepared to accept a lower expansion speed in order to expand at minimum risk and cost and mainly in countries which are regarded as having higher cultural proximity. The paper reveals the potential of the prior-online market entry strategy to change the internationalization behavior of grocery retailers. In addition, it contributes to the understanding of the evolution of market entry strategy into advanced digital economies in the coming new decade.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 49 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 2006

Hillary Shaw

The ‘consumer society’ has become a ‘consumer oligopoly’ in Britain as the big four supermarkets, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury, and Morrison have between them captured a 75% share of…

3156

Abstract

The ‘consumer society’ has become a ‘consumer oligopoly’ in Britain as the big four supermarkets, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury, and Morrison have between them captured a 75% share of the grocery market. This has been achieved through globalisation, the attainment of large economies of scale, and major deployment of buying power. Total annual profits of the ‘big four’ UK supermarkets now stand at £3 billion, and several millions of this is spent on charitable causes and other CSR activities such as promoting sustainable development. However the spectacular growth of the supermarkets over the past fifty years has not been to the benefit of all. Some consumers have seen their access to healthy food curtailed as local shops have closed, and the quality of their diet has fallen; this is often referred to as the ‘food deserts’ phenomenon. The spatial scale of ‘food deserts’, the coping strategies employed by those affected by such ‘deserts’, and the solutions proposed to alleviate food access problems, are profoundly local in character, typically operating over distances of less than two kilometres. This paper suggests that a re‐focussing of the CSR activities of supermarkets towards the local scale can not only boost the social image of the supermarkets in fields where their impact is seen as negative, but can also be profitable for these corporations. Further benefits of a more local perspective include environmental advantages such as the maintenance of biodiversity and support for farmers whose incomes may be in decline. In tandem with a global commercial outlook, supermarkets have engaged with government at a national level to further their business interests. Simultaneously, governmental power within Britain has also moved from the local to the national level. In contrast, many organisations representing disadvantaged groups call for a localised, ‘bottom‐up’, approach. Britain's current centralised ‘top‐down’ approach to governance may be driven by financial pressures or ideological considerations, but this has nevertheless alienated some voters from government. This shift has prompted a certain disengagement with political processes for some individuals, and a shift towards ‘direct action’ tactics which may be damaging to commercial activities. It is argued here that a realignment of the supermarket's engagement with politics from the national to the local level is possible, financed by the resources the supermarkets currently devote to CSR activities. This re‐localisation of supermarket political activity would in fact pay dividends for the ‘big four’ retailers, because by helping to re‐build the legitimacy of national government it would create a more stable environment for business within the UK.

Details

Social Responsibility Journal, vol. 2 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-1117

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Article
Publication date: 1 January 2014

Anna Jonsson and Daniel Tolstoy

– The purpose of this paper is to offer a thematic analysis of global sourcing and international purchasing issues in international retail firms.

4526

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer a thematic analysis of global sourcing and international purchasing issues in international retail firms.

Design/methodology/approach

We review literature that addresses purchasing/sourcing activities of retail firms in foreign markets. We categorize this literature into different themes and analyse how these themes are conceptually or empirically linked to performance. We then use the thematic analysis as a foundation for suggesting potential avenues for future research.

Findings

Four distinct themes emerge from our literature review.

Originality/value

There is a lack of research that addresses how retail firms can extract value from global sourcing and international purchasing activities. A thematic review, along with a careful classification of different themes, could lead to an enhanced understanding of the processes and objectives that underpin global sourcing and international purchasing activities in retail firms.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 42 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

Keywords

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