The problem of this investigation was to make an exploratory examination of the distribution practices of apparel manufacturers as perceived by apparel retailers. Specifically, the purposes of this study were to identify those areas of perceived conflict between women's apparel retailers and apparel manufacturers from the viewpoint of the retailer, determine if there was a relationship between select retailer variables and the quality of service that retailers perceived apparel manufacturers were giving, determine whether some merchandise classifications were perceived by retailers to be greater problem areas than other merchandise classifications, to determine factors contributing to the enhancement of perceived conflict within apparel marketing channels, and to suggest remedies that would improve apparel channel relationships. The report concluded with the presentation of an apparel retailer expectation model and suggestions for additional research.

Major changes with regards to digitalization and new customer behaviours have transformed the retail industry in many ways. One of the latest trends in retail is the focus on omnichannel, in order to stay competitive in today's changing market conditions. Omnichannel is about creating a seamless distribution and experience for the customers between channels. These changes that come with digitalization come with strategical and developmental challenges. As well as an increased pressure to work more efficiently and at an accelerated speed to cope with new trends. This can be hard to accomplish, to embark into unknown territory since no organization truly has reached omnichannel. Whilst speed and innovation play a vital part in adapting to new rules of conduct within retail, risk management is still a part of their project management tasks. The purpose of this thesis is to explore how management is working with handling risks that can occur in the transition processes to omnichannel. This thesis is based on a qualitative research design where seven semi-structured interviews have been conducted with managers from various large Swedish retail organizations. The conclusion shows three main themes from the empirical findings, which are the following: Operational risks are more common and manageable than strategical, Depending on project scope; risk assessment and mitigation differs and the diversity and roles of employees.

En moins de 50 ans, le Mouvement Leclerc, créé en 1949, s'est imposé comme un acteur majeur de la grande distribution. Notre travail, réalisé à partir des archives du groupe, est centré sur l'analyse du modèle qu'il constitue et de sa dynamique d'expansion. D'une part, le discount, l'existence d'un leader charismatique et d'outils fonctionnant sur le mode coopératif sont les traits permanents de l'identité du Mouvement. D'autre part, l'expansion du réseau de magasins et la transformation des points de vente – initialement de petites épiceries devenues des hypermarchés – ont impliqué la mise en place de structures et de mécanismes spécifiques. Le Mouvement s'est initialement construit sur l'indépendance pleine et entière des magasins qui implique une organisation a minima et fortement décentralisée. Toutefois, si cette dernière s'est d'abord révélée efficace, au fur et à mesure que le Mouvement a grossi et s'est diversifié, elle a révélé ses limites, le maintien de la performance locale impliquant la mutualisation ou la nationalisation des achats d'abord, puis de certains éléments de gestion. Enfin, l'expansion du groupe et la préservation de son parc de magasins ont impliqué la création de mécanismes reposant sur la constitution de liens entre les adhérents. / In less than 50 years, the Leclerc Movement, founded in 1949, has established a position as one of the nation's leading large retailers. Our study, undertaken from the company archives, is focused on an analysis of its model and the dynamic of the group's development.On one hand, the notion of discount, the presence of a charismatic leader and the cooperative structure of the organization make up the permanent foundations of the Movement's identity.On another hand, the expansion of the network of stores and the transformation of the retailers – from small groceries to supermarkets – necessitated the creation of specific structures and mechanisms.The Movement was initially built on the autonomy and independence of each shop. Management was by definition a minima and largely decentralized.However, if the structure of this organization proved to be self-sufficient at first, when the Movement grew and diversified, it revealed its limits. To maintain performance at a local level, it became essential to consolidate and centralize first the purchasing of produce, and subsequently certain elements of management.This latter phase in the company's growth and the protection of its network of shops has led to the constitution of enduring links between its members.

Title: The changes on the Spanish consumer behaviour after the financial crisis 2007. Applied towards a switch to store branded products. Authors: Adrián Cánovas Rosales and Iranzu Ibáñez Pérez Supervisor: Venilton Reinert Level: Bachelor in Business Administration, Marketing Key words: Consumers’ behaviour, financial crisis, leader brands, store brands, Spain, Spanish retailers… Purpose: The main research objective is to find out if there has been a change in Spanish consumer buying behaviour as a consequence of the current economic downturn. Method: The selected research method is an explorative research followed by descriptive one. Secondary data has been collected from books at Halmstad University’s Library and academic journals and other articles founded in the University’s Databases. Primary data has been obtained through a survey among middle class Spanish households. The selected research instrument is a questionnaire. Theoretical framework: We firstly define the consumer behaviour. Then, there is an explanation of the economic crisis focusing on the Spanish case. Finally, stores brands are defined. Conclusion: A summary of the findings obtained from our study are posted. Middle class Spanish households have reduced their consumption, becoming more rational and, consequently, switching to store brands. The limitations of the study as well as some suggestions for further researches are added in this section.

The growing South African domestic organic food industry is a new feature of the recent structural shifts in food demand in the country. Consumer demand preferences for organic food impact on agricultural production methods due to the unintended positive consequences of improved soil fertilisation, increased productivity and increased use of indigenous knowledge. Understanding consumer demand for food, specifically organic food, in South Africa is becoming increasingly important as consumers’ attitudes and preferences strongly influence the direction of food retailers’ strategies. This study used a single bound dichotomous choice contingent valuation method (CVM) to analyse the determinants of organic food in SA, specifically organic fruit juice and wine. Data was collected from a CVM questionnaire administered to 550 respondents in a food retail store over 3 days. Findings from this study indicate consumers believe organic food is more nutritious and tastier than conventional food, organic agriculture benefits both small-scale and local farmers and that consumers require a guarantee of the organic origin of organic products. Emphasising these benefits and directly referring to the small-scale and local farmers from whom organic products have been procured in advertisement campaigns may improve retail marketing strategies for organic food. It also highlights that South African policy makers urgently have to finalise the promulgation of the draft legislation on organic standards to provide certainty to local consumers and hence a positive signal to current and prospective investors in the local organic industry. Empirical results from this study show that socio-demographic factors do influence consumer demand and supports the need for disaggregated food demand analysis in South Africa. Socio-demographic factors do influence South African consumers’ decision to purchase organic food and younger age increases the probability of the decision to purchase organic food; whereas being married and being in possession of non-formal training qualifications decreases this probability. Organic consumer awareness and education programmes should therefore be targeted at older, unmarried consumers with high levels of formal education. The domestic market may provide a niche for South African wine producers as this study showed that the majority of respondents interviewed are prepared to pay higher premiums for organic wine. A limitation of this study is that these results may reflect consumers’ demand for wine as a luxury good as no separate analysis and questions were included on consumer demand for wine. Policy makers should support small-scale producers and black vintners in the Western Cape to exploit growing organic wine industry by conducting further research for a organic wine marketing campaign that brands organic wine highlighting procurement from small-scale producers, local farmers and positive contribution to environment, providing extension services to small-scale producers on organic wine production, investing in research and development in organic wine production facilitating mentorship between small-scale farmers and existing organic wine producers and lobbying national department of agriculture to finalise the draft South African organic standard given that South African consumers require guarantee of organic origin. Agents in the private sector may exploit opportunities in the organic wine industry by targeting consumers that are younger and old age of Christian faith, lobby the South African government to finalise the draft organic standard, highlight attitudes that organic wine contribute positively to the environment, local and small-scale farmers in organic wine marketing campaigns and procure more organic wine from small-scale and local organic wine producers. Local and small-scale fruit producers and fruit processors in the Western Cape are well positioned to exploit growth forecasted in the domestic organic fruit juice sector given its global reputation for producing high quality fruit, proven manufacturing capabilities and expertise in fruit juice production. Both younger and older age positively influences willingness to pay for organic fruit juice but younger consumers are willing to pay higher prices than older consumers for organic fruit juice. Consumers that are the head of households, by being in the position of food purchaser, are also willing to pay higher prices for organic fruit juice. Afrikaans speaking consumers, 77 percent belonging to the coloured population group of which 69 percent earn less than an average monthly income of R3500 are less likely to pay higher prices for organic fruit juice due to lower disposal incomes. South African citizens that represent almost 90 percent of the Western Cape population are concerned about environmental issues confirmed by beliefs that organic food contributes to the environment, small-scale and local farmers. This concern is expressed in the higher prices that South African citizens are willing to pay for organic fruit juice. These empirical findings indicate the target consumers that organic fruit juice marketing campaigns should focus on. Specific policy interventions to promote the industry include public investment in research and development in organic production methods, extension service provision on organic production methods to small-scale farmers and development of mentorship programmes between existing small-scale and existing organic producers. Copyright / Dissertation (MInstAgrar)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

La grande distribution en Roumanie est un phénomène récent qui justifie une étude. Ce phénomène est apparu dans les années 1992, après la chute du régime communiste en décembre 1989. Cet évènement a permis une libération des énergies dans tous les domaines, en particulier celui du commerce. La grande distribution s'est implantée à Bucarest et particulièrement à la périphérie pour ensuite s'orienter vers le centre-ville. La présence des axes de transport à l'entrée de la ville a facilité le groupement de plusieurs acteurs. En effet, le premier hypermarché s'est installé sur l'autoroute A1 près de Pitesti, au nord-ouest de Bucarest. Un deuxième groupement de sociétés s'est implanté à l'est de Bucarest, vers l'autoroute du Soleil qui relie la capitale au port Constanta. Le phénomène de la grande distribution s'est développé grâce à l'initiative des acteurs étrangers. Le manque des stratégies nationales explique que l'infrastructure et le transport sont insuffisants. Par son implantation périphérique, la grande distribution contribue à déplacer les limites de la ville. Cela montre à quel point l'activité commerciale détermine la périurbanisation et conditionne l'apparition de la zone métropolitaine bucarestoise / Hypermarket distribution is a rather recent phenomenon which justifies a study. It started in 1992 after the fall of the communist regime in December 1989. This event allowed a liberation of the energies in all the domains, in particular in the retail / trade. In the first time, large retailers took place in Bucharest and particularly in the suburbs. In a second time, it spread in the main town. The North of the capital is well enough served in highways. Thanks to the situation, a lot of commercial actors can settle in this place which becomes a trade area. We notice that the first hypermarket opened near the A1 highway towards Pitesti on the North West of Bucharest. A second group of companies goes to the East of Bucharest, next to the Sun highway which links the capital to the port Constanta. The phenomenon became more important thanks to foreign actors. The lack of national strategies explains that the utilities and transport's accessibility are insufficient. Because of its place around the town, hypermarket distribution moved the limits of the town. So we can observe that the trade is linked to suburbanization and marked the apparition of the metropolitan area of Bucarest

Background As of today the textile and fashion industry mainly relies on a linear production model, also referred to as the take-make-waste system. This economy depends solely on the single use of raw materials leaving space for an open-ended production and no intention of salvaging or recovering resources. Such a system cannot be supported by the environment in the future; therefore, several stakeholders are starting to embrace circular production systems and a closed-loop economy. One example of these efforts is take-back schemes (TBS) which strive to make the fashion industry more regenerative and restorative by narrowing, slowing, and closing the resource loops. Nonetheless, practitioners and academia have found adversities during the implementation stage which instead require competent knowledge, skills, and unique capabilities to achieve a successful performance. Purpose To achieve a successful implementation of a TBS, companies require unique capabilities that allow them to adapt and adopt a sustainable innovation. Therefore, this study investigates the dynamic capabilities (DCs) needed to implement a TBS in order to provide practitioners and academia with a guide that eases the application, overcomes the known adversities as well as explores the relationship between these and the relevant DCs. Methodology The research was based on a multiple case study method embracing abductive reasoning by extending the theory of DCs for circular business model implementation to TBS within the fashion industry. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three companies applying different types of take-back schemes; the primary data was strengthened by document research and a validation round of interviews. The data was analyzed through qualitative thematic content analysis. Further, the characteristics of the study lend themselves well to be represented through a qualitative causal loop diagram appropriate for developing novel solution strategies such as the DCs. Findings The results show, through the use of two maps, that several DCs have to be developed when implementing a TBS in order to reach a substantial competitive advantage in the form of a cost leadership, differentiation or focus strategy. Further, the causal loop maps also shed light on the different relationships between DCs and how these can be exploited to overcome the difficulties or utilizing the possibilities in implementing a TBS. Practical implications and research limitations - The thesis creates new insights on TBS implementation through the use of DCs by presenting two causal loop maps. Thus, aiding practitioners and allowing them to quickly recognize their current situation against the maps as well as what changes need to be made following the suggested capabilities. The study is limited by the choice of interviewed companies, which represent only retailers with TBS in Sweden.

Background: With apparel and clothing being one of the most highly consumed products for everyday life, businesses within the fashion industry have much demand. In order to gain leverage in a competitive market, many retailers have different strategies and loyalty programmes have been an attractive way for customer relationship management.    Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to provide additional understanding of fast-fashion retailers’ consumer behaviour, while focusing on their perceptions towards loyalty programmes as an influencing purchasing factor. This study can be beneficial for fast-fashion retailer businesses seeking to improve their loyalty programmes for the development of customer retention.  Method: The study is conducted with a qualitative research design through conducting 16 interviews, with deductive reasonings to understand the phenomenon. The theoretical framework is interpretivism, which allows exploratory type of research to explore the paper’s purpose. For findings and analysis, thematic analysis was adopted to allow flexibility in the modification of data collection and research design.  Conclusion: This study’s findings and analysis identified three main themes linked to customer’s perception towards loyalty programmes: shopping criteria, benefit perception, and behavioural impulse. This suggests that customers do not regard loyalty programmes as an influential factor in their purchasing decision, but rather a second thought. By doing so, the purpose of loyalty programmes is hindered, resulting in repetitive purchasing behaviour being affected as well.

Background: The last-mile logistics of the supply chain is often the most expensive part for an e-commerce retailer. It is also according to Lim and Srai (2018) where the consumers are the most demanding. It is no longer exclusively the e-commerce retailers’ job to choose the delivery method of the parcel they are sending out to their customer. As a consumer in Sweden today, you will often get the option to choose how you want your online order to be delivered. The result of consumers wanting to have more of a say in how their parcel is delivered is that the carrier companies now compete for the opportunity to deliver parcels (Post- och telestyrelsen 2020).  Purpose: This master’s thesis has as a purpose to investigate what reasoning there is behindthe choices the actors in B2C last-mile delivery make when it comes to their offerings ofdelivery options, and their chosen strategy. As e-commerce retailing has grown in hugeproportions during the last decades, there will also be a focus on what the industry mightdevelop into, as this will have an impact on the actors in the industry. There is a lack of insightinto the subject of this study, i.e. how e-commerce retailers and parcel carriers tackle theconstantly changing world of last-mile logistics. To help answer the purpose of the master’sthesis, literature on last-mile parcel delivery was compiled together with theories such as agencytheory, co-opetition, dynamic capabilities, and transaction cost analysis. Research questions: What should the different actors in B2C last-mile delivery take intoaccount when developing their parcel delivery strategy? What will the future of B2C parceldeliveries look like according to the different actors in B2C last-mile delivery? Methodology: The study used a qualitative method with an abductive reasoning. Thequalitative method that was used for collecting the data was qualitative semi-structuredinterviews. As this master’s thesis has a focus on the actors in B2C last-mile delivery, theinterviews were conducted with professionals within the e-commerce retailing, parcel carrier,and last-mile logistics industry. Conclusion: The study then concludes that the e-commerce retailer will try to adapt theirdelivery offerings based on what the consumers wish, and to be able to do this, the e-commerceretailer need to be flexible in their offerings. The parcel carriers need to keep in mind that theyhave a dependency towards the e-commerce retailers. The option of co-opetition is alsosomething that they should consider. It is important for the last-mile logistics companies to beaware of all this as they are working with both e-commerce retailers and parcel carriers. Thefindings of the study show that many believe that the future of parcel delivery will be to useparcel lockers. What needs to be kept in mind is that it is important for the consumer to be ableto choose when, where, and how their parcel is delivered. This master’s thesis can be used bye-commerce retailers, parcel carriers, and last-mile logistics companies, to gain insight intowhat the parcel delivery market looks like today, and what is important for all actors on it.

Purpose: In the past two decades, shopping online has grown at a rapid pace, and it had a significant impact on every player in the retail industry from a small retailer to large retail chains. The retailers were forced to redefine the way they operate by managing various channels to reach their consumers. This study explores the obstacles that small retailers are facing while transitioning to omnichannel retailing and identify the capabilities required to overcome the obstacles. Main research questions: 1. What market pressures do small retailers experience with the change in consumer shopping behavior? 2. What are the obstacles that small retailers face while transitioning into omnichannel retailing? 3. Which capabilities assist the small retailers in overcoming the obstacles that they are facing while transitioning into omnichannel retailing? Methodology: This thesis has conducted multiple case studies. In the study, eight small retailers located in Uppsala and Stockholm are the main research participants. After reviewing the relevant literature and collecting empirical data via interviews, we categorized the findings into different themes. And analyzed the empirical findings by using the dynamic capability framework. Findings: The findings from the study reveal that retailers encountered challenges associated with managing channel integration, lack of availability of resources, and skills necessary for transforming into omnichannel retailing, which aligns with findings from the literature. In addition to that, the study found obstacles that small retailers have abundant responsibilities within their small organization. They perceive low returns on technology investments and have complications associated with it. Furthermore, small retailers have limited knowledge of the use of advanced technologies.