Food retailing in the Baltic States has developed rapidly in recent times. The future structure is expected to become similar to that of other regions in the European Union. However, a similar market structure may not mean that businesses can expand from one region to another without taking differing consumer attitudes and cultures into account. This study examines differences between Baltic and Nordic food retailing and consumer behaviour based on an analysis of Estonia, Finland and Sweden.
The purpose of the thesis is to highlight regional disparities between the Nordic and Baltic food retailing sectors in terms of market structure and consumer attitudes towards store types, own-label brands, low price brands and ecological products.
Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 PROBLEM
1.2 PURPOSE
1.3 REASONS FOR CHOICE OF COUNTRIES
1.4 MARKET OVERVIEW
1.4.1 Estonia
1.4.2 Finland and Sweden
1.5 METHODOLOGY
1.5.1. Literature Study
1.5.2. Qualitative research
1.5.3. Quantitative Research
1.6 LIMITATIONS
2 FOOD RETAILING IN ESTONIA, FINLAND AND SWEDEN
2.1 FOOD STORES IN ESTONIA, FINLAND AND SWEDEN
2.2 COMPANIES TO BE STUDIED
2.3 CHAIN OPERATIONS AND INDEPENDENTS
2.3.1 Nordic Merchant Model
2.4 STORE TYPES
2.4.1 Hypermarkets and Superstores
2.4.2 Supermarkets
2.4.3 Hard-Discounters
2.4.4 Convenience Stores and Small Foodstores
2.4.5 Alternative Channels
2.5 THE ESTONIAN FOOD RETAIL MARKET
2.6 THE FINNISH FOOD RETAIL MARKET
2.7 THE SWEDISH FOOD RETAIL MARKET
3 THE COMPANIES’ PRODUCT RANGES
3.1 BRAND RANGES
3.2 MANUFACTURER BRANDS
3.3 OWN-LABEL BRANDS
3.3.1 Situation at the Chosen Companies
3.4 LOW-PRICE BRANDS
3.5 ECOLOGICAL PRODUCTS
3.5.1 Situation at the Chosen Companies
3.6 DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN PRODUCTS
4 INTERNATIONALISATION AND THE COMPANIES
4.1 GENERIC COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES
4.1.1 Cost Leadership
4.1.2 Differentiation
4.1.3 Focus
4.1.4 Stuck in the Middle
4.2 STRATEGIES AND THE RETAILERS
4.2.1 Kesko
4.2.2 ICA
4.2.3 Rimi Baltic
4.2.4 ETK
4.2.5 Selver/Tirsi
4.2.6 VP Market
4.2.7 Lidl
4.3 STANDARDISATION AND ADAPTATION
4.4 STANDARDISATION MYTHS
4.4.1 Homogenisation of Customer Needs and Interests
4.4.2 Lower Prices for Compromised but Acceptable Quality
4.4.3 Economies of Scale
4.5 STANDARDISATION, ADAPTATION AND THE INTERNATIONAL RETAILERS IN ESTONIA
4.5.1 Rimi Baltic
4.5.2 VP Market
4.5.3 Lidl
5 CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
5.1 CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR AND FOOD RETAILING
5.2 CONSUMERS
5.2.1 Consumer Typology
5.2.2 Where the Students Shop
5.2.3 Factors Influencing Consumer Decisions
5.3 STORE TYPE PREFERENCES
5.4 MANUFACTURER BRANDS
5.5 OWN-LABEL BRANDS
5.6 LOW-PRICE BRANDS
5.7 ECOLOGICAL BRANDS
5.8 DOMESTIC & FOREIGN PRODUCTS
5.9 LIDL
6 CONCLUSION
7 REFERENCES
7.1 LITERATURE
7.2 INTERNET
7.3 INTERVIEW
8 APENDICIES
Author: Greg Ankers, Olga Smirnova
Source: Blekinge Institute of Technology
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