Grocery stores are an important amenity in neighborhoods and access to grocery stores is important for health and well-being. While grocery store accessibility is a popular topic of research, studies measuring access for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders are extremely rare. When a new store opened in the Excelsior/Outer Mission districts of San Francisco on a street lacking basic infrastructure for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders, the importance of this study became apparent. The Excelsior/Outer Mission neighborhood has a shocking number of collisions (over 1,100 between 2015 and 2019), elevated levels of walking, biking, and transit ridership, and minimal safe infrastructure for these modes compared to other residential areas in San Francisco. To account for the effects of these conditions on accessibility, a rating system to measure infrastructure for users was used in addition to the more traditional gravity model. Combining results into a composite accessibility score highlights how using only a gravity model to measure accessibility may conceal some of the nuances of accessibility as perceived by pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders. While it appears from gravity indices that stores in the Excelsior/Outer Mission are only slightly less accessible, the sensitivity analysis shows that infrastructure can have a large effect on overall accessibility. Specifically in the Excelsior/Outer Mission neighborhood, with its rather low infrastructure scores, the higher the weight attributed to the importance of infrastructure the lower is composite accessibility. Rather than measuring accessibility using only travel time via a gravity model or other spatial model, this study shows the importance of combining physical proximity measurements with infrastructure information to provide a more complete picture. This is particularly important for those walking, biking, or riding transit where safety is an important consideration. This study provides one such way to include the unique considerations of pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders by including an infrastructure scoring system. Not only does this highlight the importance of including infrastructure measures, but it provides a framework for future infrastructure improvements around stores.

Aim: The aim of the study is to investigate how certified labels are being communicated through sustainable marketing within the grocery store sector. Research Question: How can the grocery store sector use sustainable marketingcommunication in order to contribute to a wider knowledge regarding sustainabilityand certified products? Method: The study is of qualitative character, with a combination of an inductive and deductive approach. The empirical data has been collected through five semi-structured interviews and one telephone interview. Result and conclusion: Sustainable marketing communication can contribute with an increased knowledge regarding sustainability when communicating and defining the term in an easy and clear way which makes it possible for anyone, no matter age or education, to understand what sustainability means. Regarding certified labels, sustainable marketing communication can contribute with an increased knowledge by creating an interest for the label in question. This can be achieved by defining the certified labels brand image by clear and accurate associations. Recommendations: The grocery stores must communicate easy messages in order for the consumers to understand what sustainability is as well as using social media as a strategic marketing tool. The certified labels need to establish accurate associations while working with transparency.

On planet Earth, fossil fuels are the most important sources of energy. However, these resources are limited and being depleted dramatically throughout last decades. Finding feasible substitutes of these resources is an essential duty for humanity. Fortunately, Mother Nature is providing us a number of good solutions for this crucial threat against our planet. Solar irradiance, wind blowing, oceanic and maritime waves are natural resources of energy that are capable of completely covering the annual consumption of all inhabitants on the Earth. In this research a set of components including “Northern Power NPS 100-24” wind generators, “Kyocera KD 145 SX-UFU” PV arrays, “Gildemeister 10kW-40kWh Cellcube” battery bank and HOMER bi-directional converter system were considered and successfully applied on HOMER tool and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) method. The main design goals of the presented hybrid system are to use 100% renewable energy resources in the commercial sector, where all power is produced in the immediate vicinity of the business place, adding strong advertising values to the setup. In order to supply hourly required load for a grocery store   (1000 ) in Malmö city with 115 kW peak load and 2002 kWh/d with maximum 0.1% unmet, the system was optimized to achieve minimum Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) and the lowest Net Present Cost (NPC). The HOMER simulation for quantitative analysis, along with a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) solution method is proposed and the results are compared. The results show that an optimized hybrid system with 3.12  LCOE, and power production of 28.5% by PV arrays and 71.5% by wind generators, is the best practice for this case study. / De fossila bränslena är idag de viktigaste energikällorna på jorden. Dessa resurser är dock begränsade och har utarmats i en allt högre takt under de senaste decennierna. Att hitta möjliga ersättare för dessa resurser är därför viktigt. Lyckligtvis tillhandahåller naturen ett antal bra lösningar för detta avgörande hot mot vår planet. Solstrålning, vind, havsströmmar och -vågor är naturliga resurser av energi som kan täcka hela den årliga globala förbrukningen. I den här rapporten studeras ett hybridsystem bestående av Northern Power NPS 100-24 vindkraftverk, Kyocera KD 145 SX-UFU solcellerspaneler, Gildemeister 10kW-40kWh Cellcube batteribank och HOMER dubbelriktad växelriktare. Detta modellerades och optimerades dels i mjukvaran HOMER, dels via optimeringsmetoden Particle Swarm Optimaization (PSO). Det övergripande designkravet för det presenterade hybridsystemet är att använda 100% förnyelsebar energi i en kommersiell verksamhet, där all elektricitet produceras i närhet av verksamheten, vilket kan ge tydliga marknadsföringsvärden till installationen. För att kunna möta energibehovet varje timme för en livsmedelsbutik (1000 ) i Malmö med 115 kW toppförbrukning och 2002 kWh/dag, med maximalt 0,1% ej mött behov, optimerades systemet för att uppnå minimal energikostnad (Levelized Cost of Energy, LCOE) och lägsta nettonuvärde (Net Present Cost, NPC). En HOMER-simulering för kvantitativ analys, tillsammans med en PSO-optimering, har genomförts och resultaten har jämförts. Resultaten visar att ett optimerat hybridsystem med LCOE på 3,12 SEK/kWh, där solceller står för 28,5% av kraftproduktionen och vindkraftverk för 71,5%, är den bästa lösningen för denna fallstudie.

Salladsbarer i livsmedelsbutiker är något som ökat avsevärt i Sverige de senaste åren. Även i andra länder är det populärt, och främsta anledningen till detta är bekvämligheten och strävan efter ett hälsosammare matval. Syftet med detta examensarbete var att undersöka risker och rutiner kopplade till livsmedelsbutikernas salladsbarer, samt att ge en bild av konsumenternas attityd till den nya trenden. Informationsförordningen är en sammanslagning av två EU-direktiv, som ingående beskriver regler om hur livsmedel ska märkas. I december år 2014 utökades informationsförordningen med fler krav från EU. De nya kraven innebar t.ex. att allergener och infrysningsdatum för kött och fisk skulle märkas tydligare. Det är enligt denna förordning viktigt att butikspersonalen arbetar med tydliga regler och rutiner för att upprätthålla de krav som ställs på salladsbaren. Genom en kvalitativ och en kvantitativ undersökning har data, rörande butikspersonalens kunskaper samt konsumentens attityd gentemot salladsbaren, samlats in. I den kvalitativa undersökningen deltog sju personer från olika kedjor inom livsmedelsbranschen, vars ansvarsområde är salladsbaren i deras egen hembutik. Totalt intervjuades, i enkätform, femtiofem konsumenter i livsmedelsbutikerna. Frågorna innehöll bl.a. tycke och förtroende till salladsbar, samt tillsatser i mat. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att personalen har en god kunskap om rutiner och risker kopplade till salladsbaren. Konsumenterna i studien visar ett lägre förtroende till livsmedelsbutikernas, och salladsbarens produktsäkerhet. Majoriteten av respondenterna var utan allergi till något livsmedelsinnehåll, men uppskattade inte tillsatser. Slutsatsen av denna undersökning visade på en god kunskap hos personalen, men ett lägre förtroende hos konsumenten till butikens produktsäkerhet. Detta resultat som är inte generaliserbart p.g.a. de få deltagarna. / Salad bars in Swedish grocery stores have increased in frequently in the last few years. Many other countries have also followed the new hot trend, and the main reason of this increase is the convenience and the pursuit of a healthy meal. The purpose of this study was to examine the risks and routines of the salad bars in Swedish grocery stores, and look into the customer’s attitude against the concept. The Regulation of Information merges two EU directives, and includes rules on how the foods must be handled. In December 2014 the Regulation of Information increased with more claim from the EU. The new claims implied for example that allergens and the date of freezing, for meat and fish, must be labeled more legible. According to this Regulation, the staff in grocery stores must clearly show that the rules are being followed, with help of logs and rules of hygiene. The results of the study show that the staff has a good knowledge regarding routines and risks connected to the salad bar. The consumers in the study show a relatively low confidence in food stores' products. The majority has no form of food allergy, but did not appreciate additives in the food. The conclusion of the study shows that the staff has good knowledge in product safety, but unfortunately the customers’ don´t think so. The result isn’t generalizable – you´ll need more participants in the study to generalize.

The physical store frontline employees are the link between the organization and the customers. During 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic has had different effect on different retail sectors, some have had their worst results while ICA Maxi stores have increased their sales. This dissertation aimed to explore challenges the frontline employees and their store managers perceive they face during the COVID-19 pandemic in the retail store context. In order to explore these challenges semi structured interviews were conducted at an ICA Maxi store in the south of Sweden. The study found that the frontline employees are not involved in the decision-making process, that the leaders support is important for initiatives to be successful, and that there was no additional training for the frontline employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We draw the conclusion that while frontline employees are not included in the formal decision-making, they are still able to raise their concerns with their managers. We also draw the conclusion that managerial support is important when implementing initiatives for the frontline employees. Finally, we draw the conclusion that none of the frontline employees felt the need for any additional training. This study contributes to the scarce amount of research from the frontline employee perspective in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Practically, this study could be of value for store managers in order to enhance the customer interaction from a frontline employee point of view.

Problem: Nudging has come to be widely used by organizations who wish to influence the choices of their consumers. This concept has been greatly praised, criticized, discussed, and researched; however, this has mostly been set in offline environments, making nudging in online environments an area in need of further research. Over the last couple of years, grocery store e-commerce has increased immensely in popularity, a trend that is predicted to last and grow. Due to this, companies that offer online shopping will be required to understand and adapt in order to stay in the game. Purpose: This paper is an attempt to increase the knowledge of digital nudging and its usefulness, as a way to cope with a drastic demand change within the grocery store industry. The purpose of this study is to examine how nudging can be used to improve online shopping experience in the grocery store industry in Sweden. This paper is intended for students and professionals in business administration, and as well for nudge architects in the online grocery storeindustry. Method: This research is a qualitative study that has been conducted under an interpretivist paradigm with a dual research approach, deductive and inductive. Data have been collected through a literature review, one interview with a field expert within grocery store nudging, and nineconsumer families. After analyzing these data, conclusions could be drawn in answer to the study purpose. Conclusion: The main conclusion drawn from this study is that there are such large differences in consumer behavior in online versus offline environments that it is practically impossible to transfer nudges without making any adaptations or changes to the environment and/or the consumers behavior. Rather than trying to convert analog nudges to digital, the authors found that listening to the consumers’ wishes is the best way to find inspiration for digital nudge creation.

This study examines the price differences of commonly consumed produce between farmers’ markets and grocery stores in Utah. Our first objective is to compare price differences of a basket of produce between farmers’ markets and grocery stores. We compare these price differences in terms of low-income consumer affordability and if an individual can afford a market basket of produce using a combination of Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) dollars and Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) incentive dollars. Our second objective for this study is to establish the price premiums of individual produce items based on where the produce was sold, time of season, market channel (farmers’ market versus grocery store), as well as production method used (conventional versus organic). The findings from this research can inform policy makers of the affordability of farmers’ market produce and apply incentive programs more effectively. We can inform consumers of the price differences so they can maximize their food budgets. We can use the research to help producers make market strategies that can then maximize their profits.

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Imagine a grocery store that physically helps you to make healthy decisions for you. Your Twinkies, Hoho's, and other processed foods are all available and within sight, but you've got to work for them. In the wake of challenges that Americans face every day, this thesis project is putting a magnifying glass to (hi)stories and the human experience, and promoting change for American suburban and urban grocery stores to be health-fitness machines that we need them to be in order to help those of us on a quest to stay fit and healthy. With the information age pretty much exploding- as we are able to do a search for just about anything on Google, lack of information is not necessarily the problem. While gimmicky short term dieting fads come and go, an architectural model solution can set the foundation and structure to sustain progress. Let's look to the origins of architecture, labyrinths are built of walls, but if we are not careful, we can let them lead us to dead ends. Let's look to the origins of the marketplace, where fresh foods are taken directly from the source. For many of us, the modern American grocery store is the origin of our energy, where we will return again and again. It is our food source. It might be one root of our society's increasing levels of unhealthy weight gain, but also the source of opportunity to challenge the current design of the boxed store. / Master of Architecture

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