Variety Stores Research Articles

Research Article: Food Availability and the Food Desert Frame in Detroit: An Overview of the City's Food System

This article takes a new approach to studying food access. It combines environmental justice analysis with systems thinking in an examination of the food environment of Detroit. The article reviews food access literature and identifies how each body of scholarship’s underlying assumptions help or distort our understanding of urban food environments. The article argues for more comprehensive approaches to studying food access and demonstrates how such approaches can be implemented. We collected data from multiple sources, including ReferenceUSA, Orbis, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture, between 2011 and 2013 to build a database of food outlets in the city. We used SPSS 22 and ArcGIS 10.1 to analyze and map the data. The article analyzes the location of 3,499 food outlets in Detroit, comprising 34 categories food retailers, growers, supply chain, and food assistance programs. The study identified 96 supermarkets or full-line grocery stores; 1,110 small groceries, convenience stores, mini marts, and liquor stores; 279 specialty food stores; 306 pharmacies, dollar, and variety stores; 1,245 full-service and fast food restaurants and other food service outlets; 157 supply chain operations; 206 farms, community and school gardens, farmers’ markets, and produce markets; and 100 food assistance programs. The article finds that though Detroit has areas that lack food outlets, the portrayal of the entire city as a “food desert” is misleading. Moreover, the traditional approach of food desert research of using only or primarily the presence or absence of supermarkets and full-line grocery stores to study food access ignores many important venues from which people obtain food. It also ignores the strategies people use to cope with food insecurity and their responses to limited food access.Environmental Practice 17: 102–133 (2015)

An application of the edge effect in measuring accessibility to multiple food retailer types in Southwestern Ontario, Canada

BackgroundTrends in food retailing associated with the consolidation of smaller-format retailers into fewer, larger-format supercentres have left some rural areas with fewer sources of nutritious, affordable food. Access to nutritious, affordable food is essential for good dietary habits and combating health issues such as type-2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Many studies on food environments use inaccurate or incomplete methods for locating food retailers, which may be responsible for mischaracterising food deserts. This study uses databases of every residence in and every food retailer in and around Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada. Residences were geocoded to their precise address, and network analysis techniques were performed in a geographic information system (GIS) to determine distances between every residence and different types of food retailers (grocery stores, fast food, fruit and vegetable sources, grocery stores plus fruit and vegetable sources, variety stores), both when considering and neglecting facilities outside the area of study, to account for a deficiency in analysis termed the 'edge effect'.ResultsAnalysis of household accessibility to food outlets by neighbourhood socioeconomic distress level indicated that residents in the most distressed neighbourhoods tended to have better accessibility to all types of food retailers. In the most distressed neighbourhoods, 79 percent of residences were within walking distance of a grocery store, compared to only 10 percent in the least distressed neighbourhoods. When the edge effect was neglected, 37 percent of distance estimates proved inaccurate. Average accessibility to all food retailer types improved dramatically when food outlets adjacent to the study area were considered, thereby controlling for the edge effect.ConclusionBy neglecting to consider food retailers just outside study area boundaries, previous studies may significantly over-report the actual distance necessary to travel for food. Research on food access spanning large rural regions requires methods that accurately geocode residents and their food sources. By implementing methods akin to those in this paper, future research will be better able to identify areas with poor food accessibility. Improving identification of food desert communities is a first step in facilitating more effective deployment of food policies and programs in those communities.

A New Apparatus for the Lengthening of Legs

Rexford L. Diveley was born in Bazine, Kansas, in 1892, to the owner of a variety store. The family moved to the Oklahoma Territory (which had been opened for settlement in 1890). He returned to his home state, graduated from Hutchinson High School, and obtained his undergraduate and medical degrees (1917) from the University of Kansas. During WW I he served as head of a radiology unit in Limoges, France. After the armistice, he spent a year at Johns Hopkins in medicine, and then briefly went into private practice in St. Joseph’s, Missouri, north of Kansas City. He then established a radiology unit at Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. Shortly thereafter, he began working with Dr. Frank Dickson at the Christian Church Hospital, and changed his practice to orthopaedic surgery. In 1927 they established the Dickson-Diveley Clinic and by 1928 moved their practice to the St. Luke’s Hospital.

Determinants of variation in food cost and availability in two socioeconomically contrasting neighbourhoods of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

This study addresses links between economic and nutritional variation in an urban North American setting. We employed a mixed-methods approach including mapping, semi-structured interviews, and food outlet surveys to investigate the public health impact of variation in the cost and availability of food between two socioeconomically distinct neighbourhoods of the City of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Food cost in supermarkets was not found to be higher in the low-income neighbourhood, though it was much higher in the variety stores that predominate in the low-income neighbourhood. Moreover, there was a very low availability of produce in the variety stores. Reduced fresh produce availability and lower incomes have the potential to negatively influence public health in the less-affluent study area by increasing the difficulty of acquiring healthy foods.

‘Os Turcos’: The Syrian-Lebanese community of São Paulo, Brazil

This article aims to portray aspects of the contemporary cultural ethos of the Arab diaspora community of São Paulo, Brazil. Because the initial waves of immigration from the Middle East to Brazil began before the dissolution of the Ottoman empire, immigrants arrived in Brazil with Ottoman identity documents, earning them the appellation ‘Turk’. The broader Brazilian society continues to apply the title ‘turco’ to these individuals of immigrant origin, irrespective of whether they are Muslims, Jews or Christians, and despite the virtual absence of immigrants from Turkey in this region. People of Syrian and Lebanese descent comprise the bulk of the Arab population of São Paulo. However there are also small numbers of people from other parts of the Middle East and North Africa among their ranks. Nevertheless, members generally refer to the collectivity with which they identify themselves as the Syrian–Lebanese community. This article describes selected aspects of the daily lives of the members of this group, and in the process focuses on several specific settings. Scenes described in this paper include Al-Malik restaurant (a Lebanese variety and dry goods store), an Arabic music and dance performance, and a plebiscite for Bashar Al-Assad at a downtown social centre, Club Homs. In the process of collecting data for this interpretive collage, four research methods were employed: informal interview, micro-ethnography, participant observation, and analysis of locally produced texts.

Supply chain management and the evolution of the “Big Middle”

The authors define the “Big Middle” as the marketspace in which the bulk of retailers compete for the majority of customers and the preponderance of expenditures occur. Therefore, it is the space in which retailers aspire to exist in their quest for increased revenues, scale economies, and profits. An enduring concept, the Big Middle appears in any economy in which large-scale retailing has developed. In general merchandise retailing in the U.S., there have been three Big Middle subperiods, each defined by a distinct branch of the general merchandising tree; driven by geographic, technological, and socioeconomic changes; and dominated by preeminent retail chains. During the variety store subperiod, the F.W. Woolworth chain dominated. In the national-chain department store subperiod, Sears Roebuck and JCPenney were the primary retailers, and in the modern discounter subperiod, Wal-Mart, Kmart, and Target have emerged as leaders. The authors argue that the development of these subperiods and the success of their major retailers have depended on the efficient and effective flow of merchandise from suppliers to customers. Optimizing this flow always has entailed harnessing current technology, given the geographic and socioeconomic realities of the time. Currently, technology facilitates a comprehensive application of supply chain management, whereas previous technology only permitted a simplified version.

The Warehouse Group: Entry into Australia

ABSTRACTThe Warehouse has been a company synonymous with growth and success in New Zealand since Stephen Tindall founded the company in 1982. By 1999, The Warehouse had become the largest retailer in New Zealand and had continued to steam ahead since. In early 2001, incoming CEO Greg Muir faced a real challenge in transferring that success across the Tasman into Australia. In August 2000, The Warehouse had acquired the Clint's Crazy Bargains/Silly Solly's chain of 115 discount variety stores in Australia. Could The Warehouse implement their format in Australia and would it be as successful as in New Zealand?

The Warehouse Group: Entry into Australia

ABSTRACTThe Warehouse has been a company synonymous with growth and success in New Zealand since Stephen Tindall founded the company in 1982. By 1999, The Warehouse had become the largest retailer in New Zealand and had continued to steam ahead since. In early 2001, incoming CEO Greg Muir faced a real challenge in transferring that success across the Tasman into Australia. In August 2000, The Warehouse had acquired the Clint's Crazy Bargains/Silly Solly's chain of 115 discount variety stores in Australia. Could The Warehouse implement their format in Australia and would it be as successful as in New Zealand?

Qualitative Analysis of Fourteen White Solids and Two Mixtures Using Household Chemicals

This is a revised and expanded version of a previously published qualitative analysis scheme for the identification of 11 white solids using materials readily available in drugstores, supermarkets, or variety stores. Phenolphthalein has been eliminated because the FDA banned its use in over-the-counter laxatives; instead, tests for pH are conducted using red cabbage indicator. Once commonly used by diabetics to test urine, copper reduction tablets are no longer widely available and are replaced by a mixture of ingredients. Three white solids and two types of mixtures, commercial antacid tablets and baking powder, have been added to the scheme. All procedures can be done with the simplest of equipment. Amounts of solids are measured volumetrically and heat is supplied by contact with hot tap water. The use of household chemicals reduces waste disposal problems while making the experiment suitable for a laboratory exercise in a distance-learning course. This experiment can be adapted for many levels of inst...

Coles Myer's Chairman Stanley Wallis on Australia's international competitiveness and reform

Executive Overview Coles Myer is Australia's dominant retailing company, with an estimated market share of more than 20 percent of all retail sales in Australia. Its major businesses include Australia's largest department store chain, largest grocery-supermarket chain, and the largest discount chains. Target and Kmart. In addition, it is a major player in food and liquor retailing, office supplies, and apparel. Its 1999 sales were A$ 22 billion, with profits over A$ 400 million. The company began business in 1914, operating variety stores with low-priced goods and a money-back guarantee of satisfaction. After incorporation in 1921 as G. J. Coles & Co. Limited, it continued to operate variety stores until the end of the 1950s, when it branched into supermarket retailing. In 1969, Coles introduced the discount store concept into Australia through the establishment of the Kmart chain. In 1985, Coles acquired The Myer Emporium Limited, the largest department store operator in Australia, which also operated discount and specialty store chains. In 1986, the company changed its name to Coles Myer Ltd. From 1993, the company began to shift from a structure of largely independent retail operations to one retail company operating through a series of brands. The shared services concept was adopted widely across the business for administrative support and achieved many efficiencies and integration. The firm's e-business strategy developed rapidly. Stanley Wallis is chairman of Coles Myer, and of Amcor. formerly Australian Paper Manufacturers. Mr. Wallis joined Australian Paper Manufacturers in 1960 and progressed through positions of chief accountant, mill manager, and finance manager to become managing director in 1977. He led Amcor through a sustained period of profitable growth and internationalization and stepped down from his CEO role in 1996 to become chairman. Mr. Wallis's contribution to reform in Australia has been very significant, as chairman of the Inquiry into the Australian Financial System; as president of the Business Council of Australia, a group of 100 CEOs of Australia's biggest companies; and most recently as a major participant in the tax reform process. He has contributed to advancing management education in Australia, and serves as a chairman and director of a number of major business and educational institutions. He has a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Melbourne. As one of Australia's most respected business leaders, he is particularly well-qualified to comment on the progress and challenges facing the business sector in Australia.

Large format retailers: a French tradition despite reactions

French retailers have initiated large format stores: department stores in the middle of the 19th century and their variety stores; hypermarkets more than a century later. These large format retail stores induced reactions from the French government on several occasions. These reactions consisted in controlling new locations through specific committees. The impact of these reactions did not greatly affect the evolution of large format retail stores like hypermarkets. Regulations hurt variety stores more strongly when they were in competition with hypermarkets, because they were already declining. Otherwise, the hypermarket retail life cycle has not been affected despite some delays. Recent problems could mean the end of development and possibly of maturity stages for these large format retail stores.

Estimation of product category sales responsiveness to allocated shelf space

A retail chain manager must draw on experience based on data available from his points of sale to diagnose space misallocations in stores and to make recommendations. This paper presents an empirical estimate of shelf space elasticities from a variety store chain database at product category level with a share of space vs. share of sales econometric model. It suggests that external influences could explain space elasticity differences. Results show that space elasticities increase with the impulse buying rate of the product category and do not depend on the type of store.

Structural and Spatial Trends in British Retailing: The Importance of Firm-Level Studies

This essay seeks to draw attention to important structural and spatial trends in British retailing within the period 1850– 1939. In doing so three main issues are raised. First, discussion focuses on the fragmented nature of existing literature on retail change and in particular the increasing bias towards North America. This serves to underpin the second theme, which describes the methodology of a new research project aimed at examining the growth of British multiples prior to 1939. Particular emphasis is given to the issue of competition and its impact on retail location. The third part of the paper explores some early ideas from the research project by considering the spatial strategies adopted by variety store multiples operating in southwest England.

Designing and Implementing a Broad-Based Stock Option Plan

Companies are increasingly interested in implementing broad-based stock option plans. By giving stock options to nonexecutives, companies make good the promise of letting employees share in the company's success. However, in the variety store of broad-based option plans, one size does not fit all. It is therefore important to balance the benefits of implementing a broad-based stock option plan against its economic and other costs. Good results in implementing broad-based stock options require extensive education and consistent communication to employees, a review process to modify the plan to reflect changes in business needs, and an increase in the stock price so that the plan generates value for participants. But, even a good plan design, one that achieves important business objectives at a reasonable cost, can still fail due to inadequate effort, market risks, and maintenance difficulty.

Spatial and Temporal Shifts in the Development of International Retail Images

The last 10 years has seen the rapid growth of internationalization by many North American, European, and Japanese retailers. Little research attention, however, has been given to the problems of “exporting” a retail image. The variety store retailer Marks & Spencer started its process of internationalization 25 years ago, now representing a valuable case study in market entry and international positioning. Based upon an intercountry study in France and the United Kingdom, the competitive positioning of Marks & Spencer, rival C & A, and a local competitor are compared in two different, national markets. Images are also compared with those recorded in an earlier study of Marks & Spencer and Japanese competitors in Hong Kong. A model is suggested of some of the determinants of international image and positioning, highlighting the additional importance of awareness and learning in such international contexts.

Introduction into performance evaluation in the equine

Any alteration in normal physiology or anatomy can compromise athletic function. The challenge is to identify this abnormality. Additionally, performance evaluation can provide an index of fitness level to help assess a particular training program. Regardless of whether you are interested in identifying limits to performance or to measure the degree of fitness, performance evaluation requires standardized conditions 9 The track can be used without additional costs. Velocity measurements and heart rates can be used to assess performance prior to going to the actual race event. In human athletic performance, self assessment is standard and inexpensive heart rate monitors are available in variety stores. However all serious athletes will avail themselves of a treadmill. Treadmills provide a highly reproducible environment for performance evaluations.They also allow animals to work at speeds that equal those they do in real life. The actual protocols for clinical e~ercise testing vary from laboratory to laboratory, but some aspects of the test should be noted. One protocol is to increase the speed continually but gradually untii theanimal fatigues. Another technique is to do an incre-

Service quality in non-grocery distribution: the role of personnel

This article examines service quality in non-grocery distribution, in particular in variety stores and department stores. The role of personnel in delivering service to consumers is evaluated. Service differentiation is the strategy most pursued in die non-grocery area where branded products are less important.

Japanese Supermarket Chains and Labour Costs-Part 2

Japan is often alleged to have an outdated and ineffecient retail system. Detailed studies are needed to udnerpin these allegations. In this paper we do this for the retail sector of supermarkets. We study of 18 Japanese supermarket chain store corporations. Characteristics of Japanese supermarkets are given in an historic overview. A labour cost relationship is estimated with data of 918 establishments. This relationship has already been established, tested and confirmed in many studyes on European retailing. In part 1, we showed the Japanese chain store corporations diversify in assortment composition as well as in the service level. In part 2, labour costs of Japanese supermarkets are studied in more detail. We find statistical support for higher labour costs by more use of part-time employees, higher service level and village based store. Futhermore, we compare labour costs of Japanese supermarkets with labour costs of French variety stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets. We find no differences in labour costs between Japan and France.

Japanese Supermarket Chains and Labour Costs- Part 1:

Japan is often alleged to have an outdated and inefficient retail system. Detailed studies are needed to underpin these allegations. In this paper we do this for the retail sector of supermarkets. We study 18 Japanese supermarket chain store corporations. Characteristics of Japanese supermarkets are given in an historic overview. A labour cost relationship is estimated with data of 918 establishments. This relationship has already been established, tested and confirmed in many studies on European retailing. In part 1, we show that Japanese chain store corporations diversify in assortment composition as well as in service level. In part 2, labour costs of Japanese supermarkets are studies in more detail. We find statistical support for higher labour costs by more use of part-time employees, higher service level and village based stores. Furthermore, we compare labour costs of Japanese supermarkets with labour costs of French variety stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets. We find no differences in labour co...

Multiproduct Advertising Budgeting

The problem of optimizing advertising across a broad product range, where significant cross elasticities are likely, is explored. A linear-in-logs model is proposed and allocation rules for budgeting across products and media are derived. The model is estimated for a large European variety store chain. The results suggest profits could be increased by nearly 40 percent with no change in the advertising budget, if management shifted from the conventional bottom-up approach to the more systematic method outlined. The final section describes how management implemented the model.