Faculty of Business Seminar Series / James Rowell

Title: The New Ecology of Omni-Channel Distribution in the Grocery Sector

Abstract: In a time of changing shopping habits and increasing competition, what is the right model for the supply chain to serve the customer? This meta-research explores the changes in the food and grocery sector; its purpose is to illuminate the various developments in the sector - for setting out a research agenda, for bringing together various strands of activity to support graduate teaching, and to inform the practitioner world of the increasing demands of this extremely competitive area of business. The range of developments in the grocery sector is diverse. Firstly there are changes in shopping behaviors – a movement away from the “weekly” shop to a more immediate demand satisfaction model; technologies, both old and new are being applied; new entrants and new business-to-business relationships in the distribution chain; new entrants in the grocery store itself; re-purposing of the grocery store; and increasingly demanding consumers.  In addition, these developments and their concomitant competition are driven on a global basis. Whilst pointing towards the avenues for further research, the focus of this paper is to explore the impact(s) for the key actors in the grocery sector. These include manufacturer/producers, distributors, and grocers; elucidating the aspects of their operations which need to either be developed, extended, or re-configured.

Place : Meeting Room AB2-345