Market orientation of retail brands in the grocery chain: the role of supplier relationships

Abstract

The role of retail brands has grown gradually and today they are regarded as one of the key strategic factors in the positioning of retail firms. However, developing retail brands that are competitive in terms of price and quality as well as in offering unique and specific values to consumers requires long-term, mutually beneficial retailer–supplier relationships that involve information exchange and a combination of the parties' core competencies and resources. This study investigates inter-firm activities in developing market-oriented retail brands in the grocery chain in four European countries. The aim is to identify critical factors that influence the role of these activities. Factors related to the internal organization, the nature of the supplier relationships and the market structure are discussed.

Keywords:

• market orientation
• retailing
• supplier relationships
• retail brands
• grocery chain

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Swedish Council for Research in Humanities and Social Sciences, Jan Wallander and Tore Browalds Foundation and the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation for funding the research. We also thank the reviewers and editors of this special issue for helpful comments.