Restructuring of Food Retail Markets in Countries of the Global South

This explorative, primary data-based study provides findings on the first nearly two decades of the emerging supermarket industry in Bangladesh, in particular its capital city Dhaka. The objective is thereby twofold: On the one hand, the study traces the so-far development of supermarkets in Dhaka, and Bangladesh, and depicts current hindering factors to the local supermarket industry's further development, as well as supermarket managers' measures to tackle these challenges. On the other hand, the study explores the (potential) implications of emerging supermarkets for other food retailers on-site. To this end, the study's focus lies on so-called wet markets (Bengali: kacha bazars) as an exemplary 'traditional' food retail format. Here, the study strives for the determination of supermarkets' competitive pressure on kacha bazars in Dhaka, and kacha bazar vendors' corresponding (proactive) coping strategies. The study is based on theoretical and conceptional reflections on markets and market structures, the fundamentals of retail management and modern food retail, and research findings on supermarkets' structural impact on food retail markets in other country contexts.

Christine Hobelsberger is PhD candidate at the Department of Economics at the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany. Her research interest lies at the nexus of corporate responsibility, the guiding principle of sustainable development, and development politics.

Autorentext

Christine Hobelsberger is PhD candidate at the Department of Economics at the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany. Her research interest lies at the nexus of corporate responsibility, the guiding principle of sustainable development, and development politics.

Inhalt
Introduction.- Theoretical Reasoning on Markets and Market Forms.- The Fundamentals of Retail Management.- Supermarkets and Modern Food Retail Management.- Research Waves on Modern Food Retail in the Global South.- Interim Conclusion on Theoretical and Conceptual Reflections.- Dhaka: The Emergence of a Capital and Megacity.- Research Design and Methodology.- Modern Food Retail in Dhaka.- Modern Food Retail's Impact on Dhaka's Kacha Bazars.- Summary of Key Findings and Implications for Further Research and Practice.