Search results

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the process of supermarketization in the vegetable retail sector in China and its impact on food safety.

Data from food safety reports by the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) are used to investigate the degree of vegetable safety in different value chain types. To assess the predictors of the degree of vegetable safety, a logistic regression model is applied.

Supermarketization has led to the reorganization of the vegetables provision system, through closer coordination along the supply chain and the use of secured production bases. We identify four types of vegetable value chains in China based on their form of coordination. Supermarkets improve vegetable safety even when they rely on external suppliers, but also wet markets perform significantly better than other small-scale retailers in terms of vegetable safety.

The study has expanded the knowledge of the supermarketization in urban China by collecting data from CFDA. Furthermore, the study used the theory of food value chain to understand determinant factors in securing food safety. Moreover, this study reveals that wet markets also have prospects in solving vegetable safety problems in China, especially in underdeveloped areas.

The purpose of this paper is to determine consumer perceptions of service quality in wet markets and supermarkets in Hong Kong.

A questionnaire was developed and distributed via a convenience sample to consumers in shopping malls in Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Tsuen Wan.

The study finds that supermarkets outperformed wet markets across all aspects of service quality as measured by SERVQUAL‐P.

Implications suggest that wet market vendors are not providing the level of service quality demanded by their customers. In particular, findings suggest that wet market vendors need to improve the visual attractiveness of their stalls, work on making them look more professional and start using more modern equipment.

Wet market vendors in conjunction with government representatives need to develop standards of service quality for wet markets across Hong Kong. This is imperative if the wet market model is to survive in what is a highly competitive food retailing industry. Without action, it appears that the supermarketization of the Hong Kong food retailing industry will continue unabated.

This paper adds to a small but growing research stream examining service quality in the food retailing industry in Hong Kong. It provides empirical results that guide suggested actions for change.

This study seeks to examine the influence of market orientation on Chinese buyer‐supplier relations. A model is proposed depicting relationships among retailer market orientation, supplier market intelligence, supplier role performance, and retailer economic and social satisfaction.

Data were collected from 99 chain store buyers and managers from 25 cities in China. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

A retailer's market orientation is critical for its own economic and social satisfaction by increasing supplier market intelligence (MI) and supplier role performance.

Retailers' MO increased supplier MI and role performance. This study found that economic performance was more important in channel relationships than social relationships. Therefore, suppliers should focus on improving retailers' economic satisfaction through role performance and market intelligence rather than social satisfaction.

Previous MO literature has focused primarily on the firm's performance and ignored the interactive aspect of business performance among channel members. The current study fills this gap by demonstrating the significant influences of retailer MO on supplier MI and on supplier role performance, as well as on retailer satisfaction – both the economic and social components. To the authors' knowledge, the current study is the first to relate retailer MO, supplier MI, and supplier role performance to two types of retailer satisfaction – i.e. economic and social satisfaction.

The purpose of this paper is to determine if the agribusiness sector can be an initiator of export on the emerging markets. For this aim, we analyzed export opportunities for the region of Vojvodina, the region in Serbia with the most potential for agribusiness.

This paper uses the Comparative Advantage Index and the Index of Intra-industrial Integration to determine the region's level of comparative advantage and the market's level of integration on the main emerging markets.

The results show that this region has the most competitive advantages in crop production – primarily in cereals and industrial plants – but the situation is not favorable for livestock production. Because of this, comparative advantage should be used as a factor for the growth of competitiveness in the sectors for which crop products are the raw material base. At the same time, agricultural policy measures should encourage more intensive agricultural production, which could create a better foundation for progress in the food industry.

Data collected on foreign trade at the level of statistical regions is not always reliable. Also, regional and local characteristics are specific to each country, so the ability to generalize conclusions is limited.

This paper provides a useful review of the agri-food sector's competitiveness and determines which agri-food segments have competitive advantages. It is essential for policymakers to identify what determinants improve or degrade the competitiveness of the region's agri-food sector.

Since there are a limited number of studies analyzing trends of competitiveness for the region's agri-food sector, the paper will contribute to filling this gap. Furthermore, the framework is conceptually innovative in identifying the determinants that create export opportunities for the region on the international market.

The purpose of this paper is to obtain insights into Vietnamese consumers’ knowledge and relevance of as well as their reaction to modern food retailers (MFRs) responsible and irresponsible conduct.

Data were obtained from an online survey applying content analysis, uni- and multivariate tests and multivariate regression models.

In total, 60 percent of respondents are not aware of (ir)responsible conduct of MFR. Most of those aware of such behavior indicate that this has induced a change in their shopping behavior. This holds to a similar extent for those not aware but envisaging the (ir)responsible conduct of MFRs. The findings point to a negativity bias in that consumers’ reaction is more sensitive regarding irresponsible than responsible firm behavior. This bias is higher for consumers already knowledgeable about the (ir)responsible behavior of MFRs. The likelihood that consumers punish irresponsible conduct is influenced by the importance they attach to “food quality and safety” while those having high concerns for environmental, social and ethical’ issues are more likely to reward responsible firm actions.

The negativity bias which implies that consumers react more sensitive regarding irresponsible than responsible firm behavior is likely underestimated in hypothetical studies.

Customer loyalty is at stake for MFRs behaving irresponsible while it can be strengthened by responsible firm conduct.

This research is the first to highlight the importance consumers in Vietnam attach to responsible firm conduct. It also points to a lack of awareness of such behavior.

The purpose of this paper is to answer why wet markets still survive in Taiwan while facing to fierce competition from western-style supermarkets.

The authors adopt the perspectives of retail service to develop a model to address how food quality, relational benefit, and personnel service affect consumers’ satisfaction. A sample of 250 consumers was surveyed in a major wet market at Taiwan.

The results obtained from the partial least square (PLS) method reveal that food quality and relational benefit positively affect consumers’ satisfaction, and the effects of these increase with time; employee service has a positive effect on consumers’ satisfaction, but the effect decreases with time; and the ambience does affect consumer satisfaction, but the store design does not.

This paper provides empirical answers to the question about why wet markets still play a critical role in the food retailing industry in a newly industrial economy where consumer’ tastes are supposed to be more westernized or so-called ‘supermarketized’ four decades after the introduction of supermarkets.

Food and grocery, which accounts for around 60% of the overall retail market in India, is the most promising area for launching a retail firm. The objective of this research paper is to conduct a thorough investigation of the impact of customers’ geographic, demographic and psychographic characteristics on the selection of retail store format choice behavior in the quickly growing Indian food and grocery retail industry, also to analyze the mediating role of store image on the store choice behavior.

A descriptive research design is used to collect data using the survey method and a structured questionnaire. The data collected from more than 400 food and grocery retail customers from neighborhood Kirana stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets in Karnataka, India, would be analyzed using both descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and Structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques. SEM techniques are used for validation of the model with independent constructs namely Demographics factors, Socio-Economic factors, Geographic factors, Lifestyle and Shopping Motives, a Mediating variable Store Image, and a dependent variable Store choice behavior. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is used to examine the suggested theoretical framework.

The model is tested to reveal the impact of shoppers’ age, gender, occupation, education, monthly household income, family size, and distance traveled to the store, which all play a role in their retail format choice. Also, the socio economic and life style factors of shoppers influence their purchasing decisions as well; store image partially mediates between customer characteristics and store choice behavior.

The study has practical implications for food and grocery retailer in understanding customer behavior in the context of changing customer demographic and psychographic features in the Indian retailing sector. The findings aid retail merchants, allowing them to develop more successful retail marketing strategies and gain a competitive advantage.

This study could serve as a springboard for future research in this field. Retail marketers will benefit from the findings in terms of format creation and reorientation of marketing strategies in the shortest time.

The study aims to identify different consumer groups to better understand changes in urban Fijian food shopping behaviour and the implications for the local food industry.

The authors used a Latent class (LC) cluster analysis of survey data from 1,000 urban Fijian households to identify unique consumer segments based on household food shopping behaviour.

Five distinct urban household clusters were identified based on food shopping behaviour. The cluster with the highest income level spent significantly lower amounts on fresh fruit and vegetables (FFV) at the main traditional market, preferring to buy their FFV from modern supermarket outlets. Considering the vast majority of local smallholder farmers rely on traditional market channels to sell their produce, the growth and dominance of Fijian supermarkets are of some concern.

Future research should consider repeating these types of detailed consumer surveys to better understand the implications of changes in shopping behaviour over time, and the role that key stakeholders can play in ensuring smallholder farmers is not excluded from the market.

Smallholder-driven agriculture accounts for a significant share of Fiji's gross domestic product (GDP), so understanding how the retail food industry is transforming and how this is affecting smallholder farmers is critical to Fiji's social structure.

Research on food retailing and the role of the consumer is rare in small island developing states (SIDS), such as Fiji. Fiji has a somewhat unique set of circumstances. In the absence of significant foreign investment in food retailing, key factors such as urbanisation and rising urban income mean consumer preferences are important drivers of changes in shopping behaviour. The study provides insights into Fiji's changing food industry with implications for other SIDS, while contributing to the global literature in this field.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the food retail transition underway in Thailand, a transitional middle-income setting, is associated with increased consumption of processed foods high in fat, salt and energy. Such “problem foods” are important risks for avoidable cardio-vascular disease and diabetes burdens.

The source population were members of the nationwide Thai Cohort Study (TCS) followed since 2005 (n=87,151) for a study of the health-risk transition. For this report we used a multi-region sub-sample (n=1,516) of TCS members responding to an additional questionnaire about food environments, shopping patterns and food consumption. By using a TCS sub-sample we gained access to four years (2005-2009) of longitudinal observations on a wide array of variables related to health and wellbeing from an informative group.

Overall 85 per cent of the sample now have access to supermarkets; ten years ago the figure was 47 per cent, and when aged ten years, 5 per cent. Now half the participants regularly visit supermarkets and convenience stores, especially urban dwellers with higher incomes. Frequent shopping at supermarkets and convenience stores associated with consumption of six “problem foods” (soft drinks, snack foods, processed meats, western style bakery items, instant foods and deep fried foods). Frequent fresh market shopping was associated with increased vegetable intake. There was no association between food shopping and body mass index , diabetes or hypertension but supermarket shopping was related to hyperlipidaemia.

Modernization of food retailing is changing Thai diets and creating diet-related health risks.

The paper addresses a knowledge gap on links between modernizing food retail in Asia and consumption of unhealthy foods, revealing strong linkage in transitional Thailand.