Specialty Stores Research Articles

Association Between County-Level Food Retail and Socioeconomic Environment and Nutritional Quality of Household Food Purchases, 2015.

About 40 million Americans do not have easy access to affordable nutritious foods. Healthier foods are less likely to be available to those living in rural and/or lower-income communities. The objective of this study was to analyze the association between nutritional quality of household food purchases and county-level food retail environment; county-level demographic, health, and socioeconomic indicators; and household composition, demographic characteristics, and socioeconomic characteristics. This study is a secondary analysis of the 2015 Information Resources Inc Consumer Network panel; Purchase-to-Plate Crosswalk, which links US Department of Agriculture nutrition databases to Information Resources Inc scanner data; County Health Rankings; and the Food Environment Atlas data. A total of 63,285 households, representative of the contiguous US population, consistently provided food purchase scanner data from retail stores throughout2015. Nutritional quality of retail food purchases was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015). Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to simultaneously test the relationship between the main outcome and household-level demographic and socioeconomic characteristics as well as the county-level demographic, health, socioeconomic, and retail food environment. Household heads who had higher education and households with higher incomes purchased food of better nutritional quality (ie, higher HEI-2015 scores). Also, the association between retail food purchase HEI-2015 scores and the food environment was weak. Higher density of convenience stores was associated with lower retail food purchase nutritional quality for higher-income households and households living in urban counties, whereas low-income households in counties with higher specialty (including ethnic) store density purchased higher nutritional quality food. Both in the full sample and when stratified by household income or county rural vs urban status, no association was found between grocery store, supercenters, fast-food outlets, and full-service restaurant densities and retail food purchase HEI-2015 scores. HEI-2015 scores were negatively correlated with the county average number of mental health days for higher income and urban households. The study findings suggest that availability of healthier food alone may not improve healthfulness of retail food purchases. Future studies examining the influence of demand-side factors/interventions, such as habits, cultural preferences, nutrition education, and cost/affordability, on household purchasing patterns could provide complementary evidence to inform effective intervention strategies.

Food and Beverage Environments at Store Checkouts in California: Mostly Unhealthy Products

BackgroundAs the only place in a store where customers must pass through, checkouts may be especially influential over purchases. Research is needed to understand the healthfulness of checkout environments. ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to classify checkout product facings in California food stores. MethodsIn a cross-sectional study, 102 stores, including chains (dollar stores, drugstores, specialty food stores, supermarkets, and mass merchandisers) and independent supermarkets and grocery stores were sampled from 4 northern California cities. Observational assessments of each checkout product facing were conducted in February 2021 using the Store CheckOUt Tool. Facings were classified by category and healthfulness, defined by meeting Berkeley’s Healthy Checkout Ordinance’s healthy checkout standards: unsweetened beverages and specific foods containing ≤5 g added sugar and ≤200 mg sodium per serving. Log binomial regressions compared healthfulness by store and checkout characteristics. ResultsOf 26,758 food and beverage checkout facings, the most common categories were candy (31%), gum (18%), sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs; 11%), salty snacks (9%), mints (7%), and sweets (6%). Water represented only 3% and fruits and vegetables 1% of these facings. Only 30% of food and beverage facings met Berkeley’s healthy checkout standards, with 70% not meeting the standards. The percentage of food and beverage facings not meeting the standards was even higher (89%) among snack-sized packages (≤2 servings/package). Compared with chain supermarkets, mass merchandisers, and specialty food stores (34%–36%), dollar and independent grocery stores had a lower percentage of food and beverage facings that met the healthy checkout standards (18%–20%; P < 0.05). Compared with lane and register areas (35%), endcaps and snaking sections within checkouts had fewer food and beverage facings that met the standards (21%–23%; P < 0.001). ConclusionsMost foods and beverages at checkout consisted of candy, SSBs, salty snacks, and sweets and failed to meet the healthy checkout standards.

Unraveling the Urban-Rural Gap in Sustainable Behavior: A Study of Organic Purchase Intention among Indian Consumers

Significant divergence between emerging and developed markets can be observed on socio-economic, behavioral, and cultural aspects. Given these disparities, the untapped potential for sustainable consumption in emerging markets has garnered considerable attention from researchers. India is a prominent organic product producer and exporter among emerging economies; however, the domestic organic market remains in a nascent stage. Nevertheless, India's vast consumer economy presents considerable potential for organic products. Presently, organic demand is concentrated in India's metropolitan areas, which have been the primary focus of research in this field. However, rural areas are home to the majority (around 64%) of India's population, and overlooking latent demand in rural markets would be a significant oversight in capturing the essence of any emerging market. Despite the reduction in the urban-rural divide due to digitalization, increased rural consumer income, and an affinity for improved living standards, it cannot be assumed that consumer behavior influencing factors are similar for both rural and urban consumers. Consequently, an undifferentiated approach may not effectively exploit latent opportunities in rural markets. This necessitates examining unknown aspects such as the viability of a blanket strategy to target rural and urban organic consumers. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study aimed to identify the underlying differences between rural and urban consumers regarding the antecedents of organic purchase intention. Data was collected through purposive sampling using self-administered questionnaires from a total of 453 respondents, including 231 urban and 222 rural consumers. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized to analyze the data. The results indicate that perceived price significantly influenced organic purchase intention, whereas health consciousness and environmental concern significantly influenced organic purchase attitude. Moreover, organic purchase attitude partially mediated the relationship between antecedents and organic purchase intention. To examine the differences in the hypothesized relationships between rural and urban consumers, moderation analysis was conducted by dividing the sample based on location. The preceived price to attitude relationship was found to be significantly stronger for urban consumers. Environmental concern was found to be a crucial determinant of organic purchase attitude among urban consumers, while health consciousness was more influential among rural consumers. This may be due to their higher environmental consciousness resulting from the visible consequences of environmental degradation in urban areas. Therefore, the sustainable aspects of organic farming could play a vital role in developing positive organic attitudes among urban consumers. In contrast, rural consumers, comprising small-holder farmers, are well-versed in both organic and conventional agricultural practices, and are more aware of the harmful health effects of conventional farming due to direct exposure to modern agricultural inputs. Additionally, rural consumers are more likely to justify the higher prices of organic products in comparison to urban counterparts, given their familiarity with the costs associated with organic farming. Thus, the significantly weaker relationship between perceived price and attitude among rural consumers can be explained. The present study's findings contribute to the existing body of literature by introducing the moderating effect of location on consumers' organic purchase intention, particularly in the emerging markets. These results provide a valuable resource for policymakers and marketers of organic products seeking to tap into the unexplored and expanding emerging markets. In addition to focusing on sustainability, marketers may also emphasize the health benefits associated with organic products in urban markets by designing awareness campaigns. Furthermore, policymakers can design awareness campaigns targeted at improving the knowledge of urban consumers about the costs associated with organic agriculture and the resulting health and environmental benefits. Conversely, to capitalize on the vast untapped rural markets, organic products should be made readily accessible to rural consumers, as organic price perceptions have a lesser impact on their attitudes compared to their urban counterparts. This may be achieved by establishing more specialty stores and organizing organic farmers' markets in rural areas, which can help to develop the rural organic market. Such measures would not only promote sustainable consumption but also benefit local small-holder organic farmers, who may lack the resources to sell their produce at distant urban markets.

Changes in the Point-of-Sale Among Vape Shops in Six U.S. Metropolitan Areas Over Time, 2018-2021.

E-cigarette retail surveillance is needed during regulatory changes, like the U.S. increasing minimum legal sales age to 21 (T21) and flavor restrictions (2019 and 2020) and certain state/localities increasing related restrictions. We examined regulatory compliance (eg, minimum-age signage), promotional strategies (eg, health claims), and products at 2 timepoints among vape shops across six U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs; Atlanta, Boston, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, San Diego, Seattle). In summer 2018, pairs of trained auditors assessed randomly selected shops (n = ~30/MSA). In fall 2021, audits were conducted among 2018 shops (if open and allowed) and additional randomly selected shops (n = ~20/MSA). Data from 179 shops in 2018 and 119 in 2021 (43 from the 2018 sample) were compared. There were decreases (p < .01) in the proportion of shops with (1) minimum-age signs (90.5% vs. 73.9%), (2) their own e-liquid brand (68.2% vs. 44.5%), onsite vaping (73.2% vs. 46.2%), counter seating (65.2% vs. 34.5%), and e-liquid sampling (90.0% vs. 33.6%), and (3) signs with product/price promotions (89.9% vs. 65.5%), health/cessation claims (29.1% vs. 12.6%), and cartoon imagery (27.4% vs. 11.8%). The proportions selling wet/dry vaporizers (26.4% vs. 39.5%), CBD products (23.3% vs. 71.4%), and pipes/glassware/papers (18.4% vs. 52.9%) increased. In 2021, many sold THC (12.6% e-liquids, 62.2% other products) and kratom (40.3%). With increasing restrictions (eg, on flavors, sampling, and T21), fewer shops sold their own e-liquid brands or accommodated onsite use/sampling, but fewer also posted minimum-age signage. Notably, more offered cannabis-related products. These changes underscore the need for comprehensive surveillance to assess regulatory impact. The past 6 years marked increasing e-cigarette sales restrictions in the United States, yet limited research has examined the implications for tobacco specialty shops selling e-cigarettes. This study found that, from 2018 to 2021, there were significant decreases in the proportion of vape shops with their own e-liquid, onsite vaping, e-liquid sampling, lounge/counter seating, and price promotions, as well as minimum-age signs. There were increases in the proportion selling cannabis-derived products and related paraphernalia. Tobacco control research and regulatory agencies must consider how tobacco specialty stores have evolved alongside legislative changes that impact them and consumers.

Consumers choice of small independent specialty stores in shopping centers during weekday extended trading hours: A qualitative study

This study explored the behavioral dynamics that is responsible for the success of the small independent specialty retailers in a shopping center during weekday extended trading hours. Drawing on literature from different areas, consumers’ shopping experiences, browsing patterns and factors influencing browsing activities in small independent specialty stores in a shopping center during weekday extended trading hours was investigated. The study was carried out in Brisbane, Australia. Two focus groups with consumers and a personal interview with an expert was performed. This research found consumers were usually goal oriented during weekday late evening trading hours and they would usually engage in browsing in-stores only when they require customer assistance. This research was also able to understand and establish the behavioural dynamics that can determine the performance of the small independent specialty stores during extended trading hours. Overall, this research suggests that the small independent specialty stores are unlikely to experience an increase in sales or attract more customers by extending the trading hours. This study makes an important step in understanding consumers demand for small independent specialty stores in categorized shopping centers during the extended trading hours. The conceptualization and findings of this research contribute to two areas of research: consumer spatial behavior and consumer information search in small independent specialty stores in a shopping center during weekday extended trading hours.

Promosi Melalui Media Sosial untuk Meningkatkan Pembelian Produk di Prima Freshmart Surabaya

The development of science and technology has changed people's lifestyles and consumption patterns quickly and practically, one of which is by consuming frozen food products. Prima Freshmart (PFM) is a specialty store that sells fresh, processed and ready-to-eat food ingredients derived from chicken products, such as frozen food. PFM is part of Charoen Pokphand Food (CP Food). The Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association Survey (APJII) stated that Internet users in Indonesia in 2014 reached 88.1 million users or about 34.9 percent of the total population of Indonesia. In addition, with the increasing number of competitors of similar companies and the unknown Prima Freshmart as a whole, consumer buying interest is still low. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of social media promotion in introducing Prima Freshmart, to analyze the influence of social media on product purchases at Prima Freshmart. The method used in data collection is by observation, distributing questionnaires and interviews. The analysis used is the EPIC model to determine the effectiveness, and multiple linear regression analysis to determine the effect of social media in introducing Prima Freshmart. The results showed that the results of measuring the effectiveness of promotions with the EPIC Model showed the final result of the EPIC rate value was 3.92 which was included in the effective category. As for the results of multiple linear regression analysis on the t-test for social media websites of 0.282 &gt; 0.05, on social media Instagram of 0.000 &lt; 0.05, and on social media WhatsApp of 0.021 &lt; 0.05. for the f test value, the significance value is 0.000 &lt;0.05, which means that all independent variables jointly affect purchasing decisions. Meanwhile, for the determination test the R Square value is 0.55 which means that purchasing decisions are influenced by social media websites, Instagram, and WhatsApp by 55.5% and the remaining 44.5% is influenced by other variables not examined.

Longitudinal association between density of retail food stores and body mass index in Mexican school children and adolescents

BackgroundObesity is rapidly increasing in Mexican children and adolescents, while food environments are rapidly changing. We evaluated the association between changes in retail food stores and change in body mass index (BMI) in Mexican children and adolescents.MethodsData on 7507 participants aged 5–19 years old came from the Mexican Family Life Survey 2002–2012. Density of food stores at the municipal-level (number of food stores/area in km2) came from the Economic Censuses of 1999, 2004 and 2009. We categorized food stores as small food retail (small neighborhood stores, tiendas de abarrotes in Mexico), specialty foods, fruit/vegetables, convenience foods, and supermarkets. Associations between change in food stores and change in BMI were estimated using five longitudinal linear fixed-effects regression models (one per type of food store) adjusted for age, parental education, municipal-level socioeconomic deprivation and population density. Density of each food store type was operationalized as quartiles. Analyses were stratified by urbanization.ResultsThere was an inverse dose-response association between increases in fruit/vegetable store density and BMI (β = −0.455 kg/m2, β = −0.733 kg/m2, and β = −0.838 kg/m2 in the second, third, and fourth quartile). In non-urban areas, children living in municipalities with the highest density of small food retail stores experienced a reduction in BMI (β = −0.840 kg/m2). In urban areas, there was an inverse association between specialty food stores with BMI (β = −0.789 kg/m2 in third quartile, and β = −1.204 kg/m2 in fourth quartile). We observed dynamic associations with age; results suggested stronger associations in adolescents.ConclusionsThe availability of fruit/vegetable stores may influence a reduction in children and adolescents BMI. These results indicate that policy approaches could be tailored by type of food store – with some consideration for level of urbanization and children’s age.

Missing data and other challenges in assessing inappropriate marketing of baby foods in the Russian Federation: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesWe used the WHO draft nutrient profile model (NPM) to evaluate baby foods targeted at infants and young children (IYC) aged 6–36 months in the Russian Federation to assess their...

떡 전문점의 다인스케이프가 고객만족 및 고객장기지향성에 미치는 영향: 제품관여도 조절효과를 중심으로

This study tried to derive practical implications that can promote customer behavior to strengthen the competitiveness of rice cake specialty stores by verifying the effect relationship of Dinescape of rice cake specialty stores on customer satisfaction and customer long-term orientation and the moderating effect of product involvement. The final 305 samples were used for analysis, and the implications of the research results are as follows. In order to increase customer satisfaction and long-term orientation of rice cake specialty stores, convenience, cleanliness, and aesthetic space are all important variables, and it is judged to be essential for the operation and establishment of rice cake specialty stores. In order to increase customer satisfaction as a result of the moderating effect of product involvement, it is necessary to improve customer satisfaction by developing products that consider customer needs based on cleanliness rather than necessarily improving product quality.

떡 전문점의 스마트시스템이 고객만족, 신뢰, 매출증대에 미치는 영향: 고객만족과 신뢰의 간접효과를 중심으로

This study was conducted with a sample of 321 by establishing a theoretical model to confirm the influence relationship between the smart system of rice cake shops and customer satisfaction, trust, and increase in sales. Suggestions and implications according to the verification results to achieve the purpose of this study are as follows. First, the use of kiosks showed that customers were aware that they would be able to make purchases faster and more efficiently than sales of employees, and that it would be possible to expand sales space and time through online sales. Second, the operation and management of the rice cake specialty store systematically provide not only sales but also product information, prompt handling in case of problems, building a positive image of the unmanned system, and handling complaints for convenient use to ensure customer satisfaction and trust. It should be expected that the effect of increasing sales should be increased. Finally, the necessity of introducing a smart system that breaks away from the existing classic production and sales methods has been proven.

Consuming Rural Territories through Food – A Segmentation Analysis Based on the Food Choices of Urban Specialty Stores’ Customers

ABSTRACT The increasing interest of consumers in rural provenance food products is known to meet concerns regarding authenticity, health, safety, and sustainability and to be based on knowledge and familiarity. Based on the results of a survey to 1553 customers of 24 urban specialty shops, located in three Portuguese cities, this study aims at identifying different segments of consumers of rural provenance foods according to the criteria they value when acquiring and consuming those products. From a hierarchical cluster analysis based on shopping preferences, three clusters were identified: The Influenced, choosing the products mainly by recommendation; The Provenance Seekers, privileging provenance and related qualities; and The All-embracers, considering a multiplicity of criteria when shopping. These clusters differ in terms of socio-demographic profiles, products bought, consumption behavior, familiarity with rural areas, and images of food products and territories of provenance. Results show the mutual influence of these dimensions on food preferences.

윈도우 베이커리 전문점 이용 고객의 선택속성 중 대표 제품·브랜드이미지가 고객만족, 충성도에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of representative product and brand images on customer satisfaction and loyalty among the selection attributes of Windows Bakery specialty stores. For this study, a survey was conducted using a random sampling method from June 15th to August 1st, 2022 for customers with experience in using Windows Bakery specialty stores. A total of 362 copies were used for statistical analysis, and the analysis method for the data was processed using SPSS statistical package 22.0. In order to verify the research hypothesis, the influence relationship between factors was confirmed through frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and regression analysis. In addition, it was found that the representative menu and brand image had a positive effect on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Therefore, we learned that we need to induce customer sensitivity by developing our own fermented species, using low-temperature aging methods, developing health trend products, and developing products suitable for local businesses. We need to select various eco-friendly ingredients to research and commercialize healthy and reliable representative products.

Food and beverage purchases at formal and informal outlets in Mexico.

To examine food and beverage purchasing patterns across formal and informal outlets among Mexican households' and explore differences by urbanicity and income. Cross-sectional study of a nationally representative sample of households. We calculated the proportion of total food and beverage expenditure in each household by food outlet type overall and by urbanicity and income. We defined informal outlets as those which are not registered or regulated by tax and fiscal laws. Since some of the outlets within community food environments do not fall in clear categories, we defined a continuum from formal to informal outlets, adding mixed outlets as a category. Mexico. Mexican households (n 74 203) from the 2018 National Income and Expenditure Survey. Of the total food and beverage purchases, outlets within the formal food sector (i.e. supermarkets and convenience stores) accounted for 15 % of the purchases, 13 % of purchases occurred in outlets within the informal food sector (i.e. street markets, street vendors and acquaintances) and 70 % in fiscally mixed outlets (i.e. small neighbourhood stores, specialty stores and public markets). Across levels of urbanicity and income, most food and beverage purchases occurred in mixed outlets. Also, purchases in informal and mixed outlets decreased as levels of urbanicity and income increased. In contrast to informal outlets, purchases in formal outlets were most likely from richer households and living in larger sized cities. Understanding where Mexican households shop for food is relevant to create tailored interventions according to food outlet type, accounting for regulatory and governance structures.

Socioeconomic deprivation and changes in the retail food environment of Mexico from 2010 to 2020.

We aimed to analyze the change in the retail food environment of Mexican municipalities from 2010 to 2020, and to assess if these trends were modified by socioeconomic deprivation. We used data from the National Statistical Directory of Economic Units. Changes in the food store count were estimated using fixed-effects Poisson regression models, including coefficients for time, socioeconomic deprivation, and their interaction. We found a rapid growth in convenience stores, seed-grain stores, and supermarkets while small food retail stores declined. Urban areas had a higher count of all types of food stores; however, the steepest increases in food stores were observed in non-urban areas. The increase in convenience stores, supermarkets, specialty food stores, fruit-vegetable stores, and seed-grain stores was greater in the most deprived areas, compared to the least deprived areas. There has been a substantial expansion and rapid change in Mexico’s food environment, mainly driven by increases in convenience stores and supermarkets in more deprived and less urbanized areas.

전통적 IPA와 수정 IPA 비교를 통한 베이커리전문점의 선택속성에 관한 연구: 프랜차이즈 베이커리와 독립 베이커리를 중심으로

In this study, three different IPA importance and satisfaction analyses were performed to examine customers" evaluation of bakery specialty store selection attributes specifically. As a result, in the case of the first quadrant, franchise bakery showed hygienic and consistent service in product taste, product freshness, disinfection and quarantine, and product packaging. Independent bakeries were found to use high-quality raw materials, hygienic product packaging, and neat appearance of employees. In the second quadrant, the items in the store of the franchise bakery were found to be sanitary and the convenience of public transportation near the locations. Also, the convenience of using the Wi-Fi of the independent bakery was found. In the third quadrant, the items of franchise bakery points accumulation, Wi-Fi convenience, and a variety of independent bakery products, discount benefits, and presence or absence of parking facilities were found. Quadrants were not present in the three IPAs.

Revisiting the Big Middle: an fsQCA approach to unpack a large value market from a product specialist retailer's perspective

PurposeIdentifying the patterns of retail institutional change has piqued the interest of retail academics for nearly a century. The Big Middle hypothesis is one of the most recent and hybridized versions of similar theories. According to it, retailers seeking a dominant position in retailing can migrate into the Big Middle, the largest market segment, by specializing in a large market with a broad product assortment or by focusing on a specific product category and simultaneously catering for multiple segments at the same time. This study provides empirical evidence for the latter proposition by employing fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) on the case of UNIQLO, a Japanese clothing specialist retailing giant.Design/methodology/approachThe authors devised a survey to assess (1) consumers' perceptions of UNIQLO's store attributes and (2) their perceived distance between the UNIQLO and potential competitors. The authors used fsQCA procedures to identify multiple confluences of causal conditions that led to a high level of consumer patronage for UNIQLO from various market segments.FindingsThe findings show that UNIQLO's dominance in the Big Middle stems not only from capturing a sizable homogeneous market but from aggregating multiple heterogeneous market segments with disparities of various types. This finding explains how a specialty store retailer achieves its Big Middle position.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings gleaned from fsQCA are not statistically generalisable. It, therefore, is essential to ensure whether similar phenomena are observed under different spatiotemporal settings. Concerning the scope of the research, this study's finding is pertinent to only one part of the Big Middle hypothesis. Future studies are required to cover other dimensions of the Big Middle, including the generalist retailer's cases of the Big Middle.Practical implicationsThe results of this study may present a valuable tool to deepen retailers' understandings on; (1) the multiple causal recipes of customer patronages to their retail offerings, (2) who the pure fans of their stores are, (3) who their principal rivals are in the mind space of the consumers, and (4) their overall market position upon aiming to realise the Big Middle. It will give retail managers an insight into how to design, implement, and churn an efficient and effective RBM.Originality/valueThe study's originality is in empirically scrutinizing and elaborating a part of the mechanism of retail change heralded by the Big Middle hypothesis.

Different Times Call for Different Measures: Using Retail Sales to Monitor the Tobacco Product Landscape

Different Times Call for Different Measures: Using Retail Sales to Monitor the Tobacco Product Landscape

Do 'cheese factory-specific' mites (Acari: Astigmata) exist in the cheese-ripening cabinet?

To determine whether the mites used in the ripening process of traditional cheeses are genetically unique to cheese factories, we investigated mites from three types of traditional cheeses, that use mites in the ripening process: 'Würchwitzer Milbenkäse' from Germany and 'Mimolette' and 'Artisou' from France. In addition, traditional ripened cheeses were purchased from cheese specialty stores in France (Mimolette) and Japan ('Laguiole' from France) as well as stores in temporary markets in France ('Salers' and 'Cantal vieux') and the mites obtained from those cheeses were analyzed in this study. Partial sequences of the 28S rRNA gene (28S) were determined and used to reconstruct a phylogenetic tree. Tyrolichus casei, the dominant cheese mite species from the ripening cabinets of three traditional cheese producers and two cheese specialty stores in France and Japan, had identical partial 28S sequences. All specimens from Cantal vieux from a store in the temporary market in France had an identical sequence with Acarus siro and Acarus immobilis in the determined region of the 28S sequences. Mite individuals from Salers from a store in the temporary markets in France shared the same haplotype as Acotyledon paradoxa. For the T. casei individuals from five different localities (19 individuals in total), the nuclear loci were obtained using MIG-seq. More than several thousand genomic regions are amplified simultaneously by multiplex PCR, and targeting regions surrounded by inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) in the genome were sequenced using the MiSeq system (Illumina). SNPs extracted from this genome-wide analysis showed that no genetic structure existed in the populations from any region. Among the five samples from the three regions, which were more than 500km apart and from completely different environments, the mites had no geographic bias, but all mite individuals were genetically nearly identical. Thus, we found no evidence to support the existence of 'cheese factory-specific' T. casei mites, at least in terms of genetic analysis.

Factors Influencing the Purchase Decision of Retail Outlets in Coimbatore

Retail sector and Traditional marketplaces are giving way to new formats such as department stores, hypermarkets, supermarkets, and specialty stores as India's retail sector undergoes a massive transformation. Western-style malls have begun to pop up in metros and other locations, offering Indian shoppers a never-before-seen shopping experience. The sector is at a crossroads, with organized retailing and Indian population consumption both on a higher growth trajectory. The demographics of the Indian people are changing dramatically. Various factors such as the availability of professional practices, media proliferation, various brands that are gaining value and thus enhancing industry growth, the availability of various funding options, regulations such as VAT implementation to make processes simple, a sea change in the country's demographics, and international exposure all contribute to the industry's growth. The present study is an attempt to assess the factors influencing the purchase decision of retail outlets in Coimbatore.

Clothing Purchase Pattern of Rural Families for Marriage

Data from 120 rural families was collected to know the Clothing purchase pattern of rural families for marriage/occasional use. It was found that regarding occasional purchase, most of the respondents prefer to buy from shops in their own cities. Majority (80%) of the respondents reported that individuals and parents collectively took the decision for the type and number of clothing items to be purchased for occasions like marriage. About 62.58 per cent of the respondents spent ₹ 1-3 lac on purchase of trousseau and other clothing. Wedding events, newspapers/magazines, internet and fair/mela were used as an inspiration source for trousseau planning by the respondents. Family members played a major role in trousseau planning, as reported by 93.33 per cent of the respondents. For purchasing trousseau articles, various speciality stores were used by 85 per cent of the respondents.