FWOS (Food Wholesaler Ordering System) demonstrates the application of web services to provide an ecommerce solution for general food wholesaler and their customers. The main goal of this project is to provide graphical user interfaces for the four user types including visitor, member, sales person and sales manager. The system provides a contact base ordering system, an account management sub-system, and a powerful accounting subsystem.

There is a significant transformation taking place in today’s retail landscape with the increasing adoption of digital technologies in society. Customers are finding new purchasing habits and retailers are exploring different channels to serve customers in. Observations indicate that the industry is heading towards an omni-channel landscape where retailers aim to provide customers with a unified shopping experience across channels and touchpoints as e-commerce rapidly penetrates the market. Currently, all growth for durable goods is attributable to online sales in Sweden, yet Swedish online grocery retailing has been lagging and still only constitute 2 percent of the total market share. A qualitative study was conducted to map out the challenges and levers for Swedish grocery retailers in distribution . Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 18 store managers from the three largest grocery store chains in Sweden. The study elicits a framework for firm controlled factors which define customer experience: price, promotion, merchandise, supply chain and location. / Det sker en betydande omvandling i dagens detaljhandelslandskap. Konsumenter hittar nya köpvanor och återförsäljare undersöker olika kanaler för att betjäna kunder i. Iakttagelser indikerar att branschen är på väg mot ett omni-kanal landskap där återförsäljare söker att ge kunderna en enhetlig shoppingupplevelse genom alla försäljningskanaler. Idag är all tillväxt för sällanköpsvaror hänförlig till onlineförsäljning i Sverige, men den svenska dagligvaruhandeln på nätet har legat efter och utgör fortfarande bara 2 procent av den totala marknadsandelen. En kvalitativ studie genomfördes för att kartlägga utmaningar och möjligheter i distribution för svenska dagligvaruhandlare. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med 18 butikschefer från de tre största livsmedelskedjorna i Sverige. Studien använder ett ramverk som kapslar in faktorer som kan kontrolleras av företaget och som tillsammans formar kundupplevelsen: pris, kampanjer, sortiment, logistikkedja och plats.

This study investigates the marketing perception of grocery store retailers belonging to black business associations in Gauteng. In determining what the black grocery store retailer should know about marketing in order to be successful, an extensive literature study was undertaken on the basic components of marketing, namely the marketing concept, marketing environment and target market selection, and the retail marketing mix and strategy. An empirical study was conducted to determine the black grocery store retailer's present knowledge and practices of the basic components of marketing. In the study, grocery store retailers who are members of Nafcoc in Gauteng, were interviewed by using a structured questionnaire which covered the basic components of marketing. The research results reveal various prominent gaps in the black grocery store retailer's marketing perception of the marketing concept, marketing environment and target market selection, and the retail marketing mix and strategy. The most significant findings are that successful black grocery store retailers have certain unique characteristics and perceptions and follow specific marketing practices: they care what customers think of their stores and they see it as their responsibility to conduct marketing research on a regular basis; they are more sensitive to the diverse cultural backgrounds and needs of the customers and infrastructural problems of the townships in which they live; they do not focus only on providing the basic necessities but also keep an expanded product range, including shopping and emergency products; they use the self-service store concept to sell to their customers; they add value by providing after-sales services such as attending to defective goods; they have a broader perception of competitors and do not focus only on intratype competition inside the townships; they use more advanced accounting and financial management techniques; they accept their role as a socially responsible retailing business in the township community; they eliminate the middlemen in the distribution system whenever possible by buying directly from manufacturers and the fresh produce market; and they use more marketing communication elements to promote their stores and range of products and services. / Business Management / DCom (Business Management)

Författare: Emilia Denckert och Linnéa Pankko Handledare: Universitetsadjunkt Åsa Lindström Examinator: Professor Bertil Hultén Fakultet: Ekonomihögskolan vid Linnéuniversitetet Program: Civilekonomprogrammet med inriktning marknadsföring Kurs: Examensarbete i marknadsföring för Civilekonomprogrammet 30 hp Examensarbetets titel: Vad får dig att stanna? Forskningsfråga: Vilka attribut ligger till grund för en varumärkeslojalitet hos konsumenter av livsmedelsprodukter i dagligvaruhandeln? Syfte: Syftet med detta examensarbete är att analysera och fastställa vilka attribut hos en produkt och ett varumärke som bidrar till att konsumenter bygger upp en lojalitet gentemot varumärket ifråga. Studien kommer att förklara vardera attribut, samt kombinationer av dessa, och klargöra huruvida de ligger till grund för konsumenters lojalitet till varumärken på livsmedelsprodukter som säljs i dagligvaruhandeln. Vidare ämnar studien uppfylla ett delsyfte, vilket är att ge implikationer till Smiling Group AB beträffande vilka attribut som genererar en varumärkeslojalitet. Resultatet av denna studie kommer därmed även att bistå med underlag till företags utvecklande av marknadsföringsstrategier som i sin tur kan påverka varumärkeslojaliteten positivt. Metod: Detta examensarbete har en deduktiv ansats. Vidare har kombinationer av kvantitativa och kvalitativa metoder använts. Insamlingen av studiens primärdata har tagit sig form dels som en enkätundersökning, och dels som djupintervjuer. Resultat och slutsats: Vi har konstaterat att kvalitet och pris är de attribut som till störst del ligger till grund för en varumärkeslojalitet hos konsumenter av livsmedelsprodukter i dagligvaruhandeln. Vidare har vi fastställt tre olika kombinationer av de fem attribut som ingått i studien samt vilken grupp av konsumenter som föredrar vilken kombination. Teoretiskt och praktiskt bidrag: Studiens teoretiska bidrag består dels av att vi identifierat några av de attribut vilka ligger till grund för en varumärkeslojalitet hos konsumenter av livsmedelsprodukter i dagligvaruhandeln. Vi har också tillfört konsumenters engagemang som en aspekt, vilken bör tas i beaktning när denna typ av varumärkeslojalitet studeras. Vi har praktiskt bidragit genom implikationer till Smiling Group AB om hur de bör förhålla sig till studiens fem attribut, och kombinationer av dessa, för att generera varumärkeslojala kunder. Detta bidrar även praktiskt till andra företag i branschen, då de kan använda studiens resultat och slutsats som underlag vid utformning av framtida marknadsföringsstrategier.  Nyckelord: Varumärkeslojalitet, varumärke, lojalitet, attribut, konsumenter, dagligvaruhandeln, livsmedelsbranschen / Authors: Emilia Denckert and Linnéa Pankko Supervisor: Lecturer Åsa Lindström Examiner: Professor Bertil Hultén Faculty: School of Business and Economics at Linnaeus University Programme: Business Administration and Economics Programme Course: Degree Project in Marketing, The Business Administration and Economics Programme Title: What makes you stay? Research question: What attributes are the basis for brand loyalty among consumers of food products in grocery stores? Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and determine the attributes of a product and a brand that helps consumers build up a loyalty to that brand. The study will explain each attribute, as well as combinations of these, and clarify whether they are the basis of consumers’ loyalty to brands of food products sold in grocery stores. Furthermore, the study intends to fulfill a subsidiary aim, which is to give implications to Smiling Group AB about what attributes that generates brand loyalty. The result of this study will thus also assist with data for corporate development of marketing strategies, which in turn can affect brand loyalty positively. Method: This thesis has a deductive approach. Furthermore, combinations of quantitative and qualitative methods have been used. The collection of the study's primary data has taken shape both as a survey, and as in-depth interviews. Results and conclusions: We have stated that the quality and price are the attributes that to the greatest part is the basis for brand loyalty among consumers of food products in grocery stores. Furthermore, we have established three combinations of the five attributes that are included in the study and what groups of consumers who prefer which combination. Theoretical and practical contributions: The theoretical contribution partly consists of identification of some of the attributes which form the basis of a brand loyalty among consumers of food products in grocery stores. We have also added consumer engagement as an aspect which should be taken into consideration when this type of brand loyalty is studied. We have practically contributed by implications to Smiling Group AB about how they should relate to the study’s five attributes, and combinations thereof, to generate brand loyalty. This also contributes practically to other companies in the industry, since they can use the study's findings and conclusions as a basis for the design of future marketing strategies.  Key words: Brand loyalty, brand, loyalty, attribute, consumers, grocery store, food industry

<p><strong>Introduction:</strong> The retail market in the 21^st century will be determined on how quickly and efficiently the retailer can respond to shifts in consumer demands. Due to the physical environment of the store (store value) and the interaction with the consumer (shopping trip value), the local retail store has the advantage of generating this tangible and intangible information. It is then of importance that this information will be transferred towards the retailer, who has the opportunity to use this information and generate it into outputs that can be used as negoitables; this value creation process is an unique success indicator for creating a value network within retail supply chain.</p><p><strong>Purpose:</strong> The aim of this research is to present an understanding on the value creation process in the grocery retail chain.</p><p><strong>Methodology:</strong> Having an inductive nature, this thesis tried to bring a new understanding on value creation in grocery retail business, by using hermeneutics as a methodology approach. For empirical study, the qualitative approach was used. Data was collected through open-ended interviews with representatives in grocery retail chains.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The main players in the value network were determined in a grocery retail chain as retailer, local retail store and other stores in the chain; and the suppliers. An intensive value exchange between the retail store and the retailer was found and following that, it was concluded that the retailer converts the value input from the local retail store into tangible and intangible value outputs towards suppliers. Combining the conclusions, the research defines that a value network is existing, but on a very low level. But more to the point, the study shows the importance of value creation by the retail chain, and that creating the possibility to share information about products, in-store experience, consumer knowledge, and consumer requirements is one of the biggest advantage the grocery retail chain has to develop this value network further.</p><p> </p>

This study employs three ordinary least squares regression equations to analyze retail grocery store prices. The grocery stores studied were from the Tucson metropolitan area. The price data collected consisted of a typical market basket purchased in this market. Different price categories were analyzed in order to determine the relevance of interstore comparisons between two different brand categories, national brand and cheapest brand categories. Grocery prices for the two brands were tested to determine if the organization of retail grocery stores (chain and independents), location of the store, store neighborhood average income, and size (in square feet) of the grocery store affected price.

An exploratory field study was conducted to examine internal and external factors that influence adolescents' consumer behavior when serving as the family purchasing agents. Demographic, lifestyle, and marketing activities were examined to determine the influences that affect whether the adolescent will purchase the preferred family brands or other brands. Participating adolescents were sent by their parents to the grocery store on two separate occasions to purchase four preselected grocery items. The brands purchased were recorded and compared to the preferred brand names provided by the parents. While no statistical significance was found, occasional trends were observed. The analysis indicated that adolescents who experience a pluralistic family communication style will purchase products other than the preferred household brands. Adolescents who are exposed to television and radio tend to deviate more from the preferred family brands more often than do adolescents with less media exposure. Adolescents who work are more likely to go to the grocery store more often for their families than do nonworking adolescents. Also, adolescents seem to possess a price sensitivity to both high and low-involvement grocery items.

Hållbarhet bygger på att företag tar ett socialt, miljömässigt och ekonomiskt ansvar. Med hjälp av hållbarhetsrapporten kommunicerar företag sitt hållbarhetsarbete och resultaten av det. Användarna av hållbarhetsrapporterna är företagets intressenter, vilka påverkar och påverkas av företagets verksamhet. För att företaget ska veta vilka frågor som intressenterna anser väsentliga behöver företaget engagera sina intressenter. Intressentengagemang är processen som används av företag för att engagera relevanta intressenter i hållbarhetsarbetet och för att välja ut vilka frågor som är väsentliga att ta med i hållbarhetsrapporten. Denna studie fokuserar på dagligvaruhandelsföretag och deras intressentengagemang. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur dagligvaruhandelsföretag i Sverige engagerar sina intressenter i hållbarhetsrapporterna genom att utgå ifrån de tre principerna inkluderbarhet, väsentlighet och respons samt att jämföra hur engagemanget har förändrats under de senaste åren. För att uppfylla syftet har en kvantitativ ansats valts i form av innehållsanalys av hållbarhetsrapporter. Resultatet från studien visar att dagligvaruhandelsföretagen generellt är tydliga med vilka intressenter som inkluderas samt vilka frågor som anses väsentliga av intressenterna. De är dock inte lika transparenta med hur själva intressentengagemanget ser ut. Studien visar även att de metoder som främst används är one-way och two-way. / Sustainability is based on companies taking social, environmental and financial responsibility. With the help of a sustainability report, companies communicate their sustainability work and the results of it. The users of the sustainability reports are the company's stakeholders, which affect and are affected by the company's operations. In order for the company to know which issues stakeholders consider important, the company needs to engage its stakeholders. Stakeholder engagement is the process used by companies to engage relevant stakeholders in the sustainability work and to select which issues are essential to include in the sustainability report. This study focuses on grocery retailers and their stakeholder engagement. The purpose of this study is to investigate how grocery retailers in Sweden engage their stakeholders in the sustainability reports by using the three principles inclusivity, materiality and responsiveness and comparing how the engagement has changed during the recent years. To fulfil the purpose a quantitative approach has been chosen in the form of content analysis of sustainability reports. The results of the study show that the grocery retailers are generally clear about which stakeholders are included and which issues are considered essential by the stakeholders. However, they are not as transparent about how the stakeholder engagement itself looks. The study also shows that the methods that are mainly used are one-way and two-way.

The background to this study is the high employee turnover that prevails in the grocery retail. The personnel management in the organisation is considered to have the opportunity to influence the employee turnover and the possibility of influence varies depending on the position. A middle manager is the manager who works closest to the employees and can thus affect the employee turnover in different ways. For example, the middle manager can influence this by creating a group where everyone feels involved. In addition to this, there are a number of studies that show that the relationship with the immediate manager is of importance for whether or not the employee chooses to remain within the organisation. The social relationships between middle managers and employees are important for employees´ choices in remaining within the organisation. Furthermore, employeeship is mentioned as a prerequisite for the employee to not quit. Since a number of studies mention the importance of well–functioning social relations between employees and middle managers, the study's authors have chosen to apply the LMX theory in the study. The LMX theory concerns the purpose of the study–to create an understanding of how the social relationships between employees and middle managers can be shaped and developed to create trust in the grocery retail. The present study has a qualitative approach and the data collection consists of ten semi–structured interviews with both employees and middle managers in the grocery retail. The empirical study shows that the respondents are concerned about the social relationships and consider these as a prerequisite for the organization to function in a desirable way. The empirical material identifies a number of key concepts that contribute to the study's analysis. Some of the concepts that were brought up in the social relationships were respect, responsiveness, communication and feedback. During the interviews, a number of different factors were identified that are considered to lead to high–quality social relationships between employees and middle managers. The conclusions show the importance that both middle managers and employees show an interest in each other and the will to deepen their social relationships. It also appears that none of the parties can perform in a desirable way if there is a lack of well-functioning social relationships. The high–quality relationships are determined by the personal chemistry and commitment to deepen the relationship. Trust must exist between middle managers and employees for a well–functioning social interaction, regardless of the nature of the relationship to each other. / Bakgrunden till denna studie är den höga personalomsättningen som råder inom dagligvaruhandeln. Organisationens personalledning anses ha möjlighet att påverka personalomsättningen och möjligheten till inflytande varierar beroende på befattning. En mellanchef är den chef som finns närmast till hand för medarbetaren, vilket gör att hen kan påverka personalomsättningen på olika sätt. Exempelvis kan mellanchefen påverka detta genom att skapa en grupp där alla känner delaktighet. Utöver detta finns det ett antal studier som visar att relationen till den närmaste chefen är av betydelse för huruvida medarbetaren väljer att stanna kvar inom organisationen eller inte. De sociala relationerna mellanchef–medarbetare är betydelsefulla för att medarbetaren ska välja att stanna kvar i organisationen. Vidare nämns också medarbetarskap som en förutsättning för att medarbetaren inte ska lämna. Eftersom ett flertal studier nämner vikten av välfungerade sociala relationer mellan medarbetare och mellanchef har studiens författare valt att utgå från LMX–teorin. LMX–teorin berör studiens syfte–att skapa förståelse för hur de sociala relationerna mellan medarbetare och mellanchef kan formas och utvecklas för att skapa förtroende i dagligvaruhandeln. Föreliggande studie har kvalitativ ansats och datainsamlingen består av tio semistrukturerade intervjuer med både medarbetare och mellanchefer inom dagligvaruhandeln. I studiens empiri framgår att respondenterna är måna om de sociala relationerna och ser dessa som en förutsättning för att organisationen ska fungera på ett önskvärt sätt. I det empiriska materialet identifieras ett antal nyckelbegrepp som sedan bidrar till studiens analys. Några av de begrepp som uppkom gällande de sociala relationerna var respekt, lyhördhet, kommunikation och feedback. Vid intervjuerna identifierades ett antal olika faktorer som anses leda till högkvalitativa sociala relationer mellan medarbetare och mellanchef. I studiens slutsatser framgår vikten av att både mellanchefer och medarbetare visar intresse för varandra och är villiga att fördjupa de sociala relationerna. Det framgår också att ingen av parterna kan utföra sitt arbete på ett önskvärt sätt om det råder brist på välfungerande sociala relationer. De högkvalitativa relationerna avgörs av personkemin samt engagemang för att fördjupa relationen. Förtroende måste finnas mellan mellanchef och medarbetare för ett välfungerade socialt samspel, oavsett relationens art till varandra.

The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in a supermarket tour improves nutrition knowledge and eating behavior in adult participants. Participants were recruited in communities surrounding Food City stores, a local supermarket. Prior to completing a standardized tour, participants completed a survey to assess nutrition knowledge and eating behavior. This survey was given to participants again three months later. A program evaluation was given one time at the end of the tour. Data analysis revealed no significant findings, other than the behavior-based question: “How many meals or snacks on most days included vegetables”. Vegetable consumption appeared to decrease. All participants who completed the program evaluation reported they learned something new as a result of the tour and were satisfied with the experience. These findings suggest that nutrition education provided in supermarkets is well-received by participants, but additional research with objective measures is needed.