Chain Stores Research Articles

WILDCAT Grocery Stores: A Case Study on Information Systems and Data Analytics

ABSTRACT The current data environment spurs technological and business analytics innovations in both practice and research. Many large consulting firms invest heavily in technology to help business analysts develop skills in extracting and visualizing useful information from large sets of data. The purpose of this teaching case is to provide students with practice in data analytics techniques and consider computer-based systems in the revenue cycle. Students will read a teaching case based on a real grocery store chain, referred to as WILDCAT Grocery Stores, Inc.; evaluate its systems and use of technology for the revenue cycle; and apply data analytics to a large fictional transaction dataset for information extraction. In addition, we introduce the use of Python programming and visualizations into the case analysis to highlight the efficiency of newly emerging data analytics techniques.

Measuring Efficiency of Tea Retail Chain Stores: Application of Data Envelopment Analysis

Measuring Efficiency of Tea Retail Chain Stores: Application of Data Envelopment Analysis

Bridging Brand Parity with Insights Regarding Consumer Behavior

Abstract Previous research has investigated some of the relationships among brand parity (BP), brand image (BI), brand satisfaction (BS), and brand loyalty (BL). However, there is not a model investigating all of them in a single conceptual model. Based on information processing theory, the first aim of the article is to investigate the important, direct effect relationships among these variables. Moreover, scant information is available regarding the moderating role of BP. Consequently, the second purpose of the study is to test the moderating effect of BP regarding the effect of BI on BL and BS on BL. The data were collected from customers of chain stores in Antalya. The results supported the positive, direct effect of BI on BS and BL, plus BS on BL. There were no direct and moderating effects of BP. Based on the microeconomic behavior of consumers and because of the bounded rationality of consumers, as BP rises, consumers’ decisions are not affected regarding the effect of BI on BL and BS on BL. This is an important insight that brands should consider in terms of points of parity associations that affect consumers’ decision-making process and create a brand-loyal customer base.

Range and assortment policy for “Juice products” subcategory of three retail chain stores in Moscow

The purpose of this article is to analyze the indicators of the assortment of juice products in the stores of three retail chains, namely in the Auchan, Globus, and Perekrestok stores, as well as to identify the directions of their assortment policy in this subcategory. It has been established that the assortment of the subcategory of juice products is represented by 12 types, 44 trademarks, and 301 trademark modifi cations, which makes it possible to classify it as comprehensive. 32% of the branded assortment consists of brands. The majority of juice product brands are represented by industrial trademarks (40 TMs) and only 4 trademarks are private labels (approximately 30% of the total number of brands). The coeffi cients of completeness, depth, and stability are average. The assortment of the Auchan store is characterized by the greatest completeness, depth, stability, and rationality, while the Perekrestok store — by the smallest, which is due to differences in the retail space of these stores. The degree of renewal of the assortment of juice products is almost 25% of the actual assortment. The directions of the assortment policy of the examined stores are as follows: in Auchan — the expansion of the product range and deepening of the brand assortment, as well as the stabilization of the actual assortment and updating through trademarks and their modifications; in the Globus hypermarket — the reduction in the variety of types and a moderate expansion of the brand assortment, as well as its updating; in the Perekrestok supermarket — a moderate deepening, the reduction in the type and brand assortment, and its moderate updating.

Food Safety and Management System Audits in Food Retail Chain Stores in Greece

The present study aimed to assess the performance of food safety management systems in food retail stores via audits to reveal potential areas of improvement and to find out possible corrective actions to suggest to the top management. Two cycles of on-site audits took place in 106 stores to assess the requirements and hygiene conditions. After the first cycle of audits, improvements were suggested to the top management, and a second cycle of audits took place after a reasonable time. In the checklist, we recorded the temperatures of retail refrigerators and the scores from the inspection of hygiene and HACCP documentation. In the A′ audit, the percentage of stores that had higher temperatures than the critical limits was equal to 51%, and those temperatures occurred in the refrigerators for salads, followed by the refrigerators for deli meat, yogurts and desserts. In the B′ audit, only the refrigerators for salads exhibited percentages that were statistically significant lower (p-value < 0.05), and the stores were improved after the audit. High percentages of high-scoring stores were observed in the A′ and B′ audit in the inspection of HACCP documentation, although there was not a statistically significant improvement observed (p-value > 0.05). In the hygiene inspection, statistically significant improvement with 95% confidence appeared for “Refrigerator’s products appearance”, “Storage cleanliness”, and “Grocery shelf cleanliness”. The highest number of non-conformities without statistically significant improvement was found for “Checking temperatures of the receiving products” and “Labeling of fruit store products”, with the percentages being lower than 15% in both of the audit cycles. Many employees of the stores did not check and record the temperatures of receiving products from suppliers. In addition, the storage of spoiled products beneath fresh products for selling in the same refrigerator is not a good practice. Greater efforts must be made by top management and employees to maintain and distribute food products in the best and safest possible hygiene conditions.

Design of Chain Store Accounting Information System Based on Blockchain Technology

Design of Chain Store Accounting Information System Based on Blockchain Technology

Sunscreen access, availability, and quality in dollar store chains

Sunscreen access, availability, and quality in dollar store chains

CJ Biomaterials expands consumer application for patented PHA technology to new food product

On January 25, 2024, CJ Biomaterials, Inc., a division of South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang and a producer of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers, announced that its patented PHA technology is being used in the production of a new noodle cup sold at South Korean convenience store chain CU. The new, reportedly eco-friendly noodle cup is claimed to be the first of its kind in the country. With CJ Biomaterials’ PHA technology integrated into the cups’ inner coating, they are claimed to be biodegradable and compostable, which should reduce he amount of plastic waste entering the environment.

Gen Z consumers’ expectations for smart convenience stores in the USA, South Korea, and Japan

PurposeGeneration Z will be the leading consumer group in the future. Using convenience stores, the study provides an in-depth analysis on Gen Z’s current experience and future expectations from retail stores. The study further highlights the differences between Gen Z’s perception of convenience stores across three different regions – the USA, South Korea and Japan.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted a series of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 36 Gen Z participants from the USA (12), South Korea (11) and Japan (13). All interviews were first coded based on a preselected list of themes and were further coded with new themes that emerged from exploratory coding.FindingsEach regional cohort varied in terms of how they experienced and what they expected from convenience stores. US participants showed negative or utilitarian attitudes toward convenience stores, whereas South Korean participants had a positive, personal attachment to them. In comparison, Japanese participants had a relatively neutral attitude. However, all three groups showed a common preference for smart technology and health concerns surrounding convenience store foods.Practical implicationsConvenience store chains should consider the cultural nuances when designing future services. The chains should further strive to remove the health concerns about the foods provided at the stores and design smart technologies that enhance user experience.Originality/valueThe present study broadens the knowledge in this budding consumer segment where current research is limited. It further sheds light on the variance among Gen Zers across different cultural contexts.

P865 Screening for low-processed breads - compositional analysis of food additives used in commercially available breads

Abstract Background Ultra-processed food (UPF) intake has been associated with the development of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), particularly Crohn’s disease (CD). Of UPF subgroups, commercially available breads showed greater risk, possibly due to the increasing presence of food additives (FA) like emulsifiers. As bread is a staple food worldwide, often consumed daily, we aimed to screen the ingredients and FA used in bread industry and to assess the availability of low processed breads. Methods We consecutively screened breads available at supermarket and health food store chains popular and widely distributed in Israel. Breads, pita breads and buns (excluding products without food labels), were analyzed by dietitians and categorized into one of three categories according to their processing level and FA types. Low processed category included ingredients used in traditional, home-made breads; medium processed category included FA like malt and added fibers; high processed category included FA like emulsifiers and preservatives, previously associated with impact on microbiota composition or implications on IBD. Results A total of 233 breads were screened, 160 are available at the supermarket, 56 at the health food store, and 17 in both. We categorized 195 (84%) as highly processed, 9 (4%) as medium processed and 29 (12%) as low processed. We identified 36 different types of FA and ingredients used. Most breads contained emulsifiers- 178 (76%) and –preservatives-189 (81%). The most used emulsifier was sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate (SSL, E-481), present in 86 breads (37%), followed by mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E-471), DATEM (E-472e) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC, E-466), found in 22%, 16% and 2% of breads, respectively. Interestingly, the emulsifier E-481, previously shown to induce microbial alterations, was found in 86 breads (52%) sold in the supermarket compared to none of the breads available in the health food store. Out of the 5 common preservatives, most of the breads contained calcium propionate (E-282) found in 112 (48%) and potassium sorbate (E-202) found in 42 (18%). Additives like enzymes were present in 159 (68%), gluten was added to 148 (64%) and 88 (38%) breads had added fibers. A greater portion of the breads contained yeast (85%) compared to sourdough (47%), with 30 (13%) containing only sourdough. Conclusion Most of the commercially available breads in Israel are highly processed. The use of emulsifiers, preservatives, added gluten and fibers is very common, yet low processed breads are available. These may be more recommended to patients with IBD. Further understanding of the role of FA in IBD etiology may potentially guide dietary recommendations for specific food choices.

Assessment of Load Manual Lifting among Shelf-Stoking Workers in Chain Stores: A Cross-Sectional Study.

In Iranian stores, shelf workers, in addition to shelf-stocking, perform diverse tasks, such as working as a cashier, cleaning, barcode reading, labeling goods, and entering the price with the portable data terminal (PDT). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms (WMSs) and assess load manual lifting among shelf-stoking workers. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 101 shelf-stoking workers (60 males and 41 females) in chain stores at Shiraz city, Iran. The subjects were selected by cluster sampling from chain stores in Shiraz city, namely Refah, Canbo, Soroush, and Tirazis. Then, the required number of samples was selected and entered into the study from each cluster in proportion. The Persian version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health-variable lifting index method were used to collect the required data. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 22 using the Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman's correlation coefficient, and linear regression. Ankles/feet, lower back, and knees had the highest prevalence of WMSs among the participants. About 70.3% of workers had a VLI higher than 1. There was an association between gender and VLI. The VLI was higher in males than females. The study's findings revealed that the medians of the VLI were significantly different among participants with/without upper back symptoms during 12 months prior to the study and among participants with/without lower back symptoms during 7 days prior to the study. According to the linear regression analysis, gender and lower back symptoms during 7 days prior to the study remained in the model and were associated with the VLI. The findings revealed that the back region of the shelf-stoking workers is prone to work-related musculoskeletal disorders. In addition, based on the results, gender and lower back symptoms during the 7 days prior to the study were predicting variables for VLI. This study provides an overview of pain/discomfort and postural load in shelf-stoking workers. Since the principles of ergonomics for the placement and layout of shelves are the same in all stores, the findings of the present study can be used in other stores.

Marketing Communication and Mobile Advertising for Sustainability: An Analysis of Consumer Attitudes and Motivations

All companies, regardless of their sector, can take measures to contribute to sustainability, one of these measures consists of their communication strategies to promote responsible consumption among their consumers. That’s why, the present study investigates the impact of marketing communications on customers' attitudes towards mobile advertising with the mediate of motivation. The statistical population includes all customers of Chain Stores located in Tehran. A standardized 28-item questionnaire with 5-point Likert Scale was applied for data collection and the sample size was estimated to be 196 people considering the population limitations. In order to analyze data, partial least squares structural equation modeling was applied using smart PLS 3. The results showed consumers need an intrinsic agreement and they hardly accept the information that disagrees with their beliefs. That’s why marketers who tend to confirm individuals’ attitudes should use highly valuable resources for advertisements. In conclusion, customers' trust in advertising can lead to their loyalty and increase profitability for chain store. It will also lead to greater competition among chain stores in sustainability and dynamic environmental conditions.

COVID-19 containment policies, digitalization and sustainable development goals: evidence from Alibaba’s administrative data

The impact of digital platforms on the implementation of the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially the business sustainability of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), under different containment policies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic has not yet been studied in detail. Using detailed administrative data from Alibaba Group’s online on-demand food delivery platform, we found that the digital platform contributed to the food security, wellbeing, employment and business sustainability of MSMEs both during and after the pandemic. We uncovered merchants’ heterogeneous responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during and after the implementation of different containment policies in China. On the extensive margin, the period of complete lockdown left long-term scarring on online merchants by decreasing the number of entrants, especially in the cooked food industry. In contrast, on the intensive margin, chain stores, especially those with large chain networks or multiapp stores, exhibited stronger resilience than their counterparts during and after lockdown. Thus, specialization (at the outlet level) and wider coverage (at the network level) emerged as key factors that enable business sustainability under challenging economic circumstances.

FACTORS AFFECTING CONSUMER'S INTENTION TO CHOOSE A RETAIL CHAIN BRAND IN VIETNAM

Retailing is the final stage of the distribution channel, including businesses and people involved in the movement and transfer of ownership of goods and services from the producer to the final consumer. The customer's selection decision is a very complicated matter, where they have to decide: (1) how many types of items from each category are selected; (2) how to select purchases during shopping trips by period; (3) how to choose a different type of store. Combined with the research context in Vietnam, the author has proposed a number of factors affecting the brand choice behavior of retail chain stores, including the following 6 factors: (1) the image of the store customers, (2) price perception, (3) perceived risk, (4) attitude towards the brand, (5) brand awareness, (6) brand familiarity. A formal quantitative research was carried out on a sample size of 420 NTD. The values of the scale were analyzed using the following methods: Cronbach's Alpha, EFA, CFA and SEM to test the research hypotheses of the model.

Fight for Customers - Correlations of Trade Organizations and Sales Promotionon the Hungarian FMCG Market

Tract of time after the millennial brought well definable changes in retailers’ trade organizations and marketing activity in the Hungarian three-pole FMCG market. Operation conditions of enterprises became more complicated which is also reflected in the variability of the number and intensity of relevant influencing factors as well as in the difficulties of forecasting them. Out of these the change of consumer/purchase behaviour, the growth of competition intensity, the swell of procurement marketing, changes in channel position, the innovation of informatics and info communication tools, the dominant change of economic environment, the stiffening legislation and the unexpected influence of ecological environment can be highlighted. An important starting point for exploring the impact of the changes focusing on market competition is that the number and activity of chain stores operating in Hungary has stabilized, which has shifted the direction of research to explore the relationship between trade organization and marketing, improving competitive advantages and management efficiency.JEL Code: M31

Corporations and Chain Stores: Federalism in the United States and Germany at the Turn of the 20th Century

Corporations and Chain Stores: Federalism in the United States and Germany at the Turn of the 20th Century

ІННОВАЦІЙНІ МАРКЕТИНГОВІ СТРАТЕГІЇ ГАСТРОНОМІЧНОГО ТУРИЗМУ В ЗАКАРПАТТІ

The article states that the main direction of marketing activity of enterprises of the hotel and restaurant industry is their marketing strategy, the main tasks of which include: defining the mission of the enterprise, its goals and objectives; formation of target markets with determination of the range of products and services; organization of the sales system taking into account a competent price policy, an effective advertising campaign; optimal selection of suppliers, etc. It is noted that, using the example of the Transcarpathian hotel and restaurant complex, with the help of such effective tools as e-mail, SMS and SMM mailings, marketers establish personalized communication with guests, establish closer relationships and increase the loyalty of their customers. It is noted that marketers today call social networks the most effective way to promote gastronomic products, thanks to which the opportunities to reach the widest possible audience have significantly increased. It is emphasized that Instagram and Facebook platforms are considered to be particularly popular, with the help of which the role of the appearance and forms of presentation of such products with the use of beautiful tableware and the creation of bright photo and video materials has significantly increased. It has been proven that marketing innovations have a positive effect on the development of gastronomic tourism infrastructure, which in turn affects the creation of culinary establishments where you can learn how to prepare local dishes, the opening of new restaurants with national cuisine, the development of chains of specialty stores, for example, honey, cheese, etc. It is emphasized that the fans of gastronomic tourism are especially attracted by unexpected taste combinations of ingredients, for example, in such seemingly incompatible dishes as sausage with plum jam, which the Transcarpathians call lekvar, local candies «Shkvarky in chocolate», fern soup, etc. It is noted that the «Gastronomic Tourist Route» developed for Transcarpathia includes the following services: such as: visits to national restaurants of Transcarpathia at the guests' choice (Hungarian, Slovak, German, Polish, Roma, Hutsul, Romanian, Jewish, Slovak, Czech, Austrian); participation in gastronomic festivals of Transcarpathia throughout the year; familiarization with the history and recipes of national cuisine in accordance with the seasons; participation in the preparation of various national dishes and drinks; participation in national holidays related to multifaceted national gastronomy; visiting the best wine tasting halls of Transcarpathia (Uzhhorod, Berehovo); tastings of wine, cheeses, honey, liqueurs, brandies, tinctures made according to traditional recipes of the peoples of the region. It is noted that among the directions of innovative research in the development of gastronomic tourism in a certain region, such know-how should be singled out as: clarifying the purpose and content of gastronomic tourism, which are distinguished by novelty; application of new methods of organizing gastronomic tours and culinary festivals; optimal use of the achievements of the development of gastrotourism at the local levels of destinations and territorial communities; implementation of marketing know-how when introducing a new gastronomic tour product to the market; possibilities of tourist clustering of the region, etc. It is also noted that marketing innovations can be implemented at various levels of development and provision of specialized gastro-tourism services, as they have a positive effect not only on the sale of specific products, but also on the tourist competitiveness of destinations and the region in general. It has been proven that the process of reengineering with an accented gastronomic aspect is capable of deepening the development of more effective strategies for increasing one's competitiveness. It is emphasized that a more in-depth study of festival gastronomic (culinary) tourism is promising

Assortment policy of retail trade organizations in Moscow for the product category “Processed products of fruits, vegetables and mushrooms”

The article presents the results of a survey of the trade assortment of Magnit, Dixy, and Azbuka Vkusa chain stores in the product subcategory “Processed products of fruits, vegetables and mushrooms”. It has been established that the trade assortment of the product category “Processing products of fruits, vegetables and mushrooms” in the surveyed stores is identifi ed as expanded. The basic depth of the assortment is represented by 78 brands and their 308 modifi cations. The highest degree of rationality of the assortment of the product category under study was noted in the Azbuka Vkusa store, and the lowest — in the Dixy store. A discrepancy was revealed between the predicted assortment on the website and the real one on the sales fl oor in the Magnit and Dixy stores, which indicates that the websites of these stores were not updated in a timely manner. It has been established that the main directions of the assortment policy of these stores are the deepening and stabilization of the assortment. In addition, the main trends in the formation of the assortment of processed fruit and vegetable products have been identified.

Analysis of Changes in Customers’ Market Basket Across Different Branches of a Chain Store Using Association Rules Technique and Its Impact on Product Placement: A Case Study of a Chain Store in Various Areas of Tehran

Analysis of Changes in Customers’ Market Basket Across Different Branches of a Chain Store Using Association Rules Technique and Its Impact on Product Placement: A Case Study of a Chain Store in Various Areas of Tehran

An integer linear programming approach for a location-allocation problem in online stores industry: A real world case study

As the population grows and demand increases, cities have seen a rise in the number of chain stores. To remain competitive, these companies must reduce costs and attract more customers. A key factor in achieving this is the strategic placement of store branches, which reduces the distance between stores and customers, instilling trust and increasing their appeal while also cutting costs by reducing the need for employees to navigate longer distances. In this study, an integer linear programming model is presented with the goal of dividing a zone in Ahvaz city into several scenarios to determine the optimal number of stores while maintaining control over the distance between active stores. This research is the first to include this specific limitation in the mathematical model of the problem. The results of the study demonstrate a significant reduction in the distance between customers and stores.