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The purpose of this paper is to identify the relevant assessment criteria for retailer supply chain capability from the perspective of foreign food manufacturers, in an emerging market context, and to evaluate the development level of Russian retail chains in this sphere.

The authors use analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for the modelling and research method, with an exploratory workshop for the specification of the model structure, a web‐based questionnaire for priority weight development, and semi‐structured interviews for the validation of results. A food manufacturing‐based focus group participated in the modelling process.

A four‐level capability assessment model was created, with operational assessment criteria allocated into management, logistics or marketing categories. The results indicate that management‐related criteria have a dominant role in assessing the supply chain capability of a retail chain company. Furthermore, the priority weight of logistics capability is only somewhat higher in comparison to marketing capability, although it is ranked significantly lower in comparison to management capability. Operational level criteria weights are also provided. In terms of the evaluation of Russian retailers, the results indicate the slight dominance of logistics capability over marketing.

The research is based on an AHP process with a focus group discussion, implying a limited level of generalisability to other contexts.

This research provides practical insight on how to assess retailer supply chain capability in general, and describes the level of development of various capabilities and functional areas among Russian food retailers.

Our research provides a framework that may be used in Russia and other emerging market settings to evaluate the capability of retail partners from the manufacturer perspective.