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The internationalisation of supermarkets and the nature of competitive rivalry in retailing in southern Africa

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  • Reena das Nair

Abstract

In the past two decades, southern African countries have experienced rapid growth and spread of supermarket chains. This paper assesses the internationalisation of supermarkets and potential reasons for the uneven outcomes seen in different countries in the region. Several factors account for the spread, including rising urbanisation, increasing per capita income, greater economies of scale and scope, and more efficient procurement and distribution systems. However, the current literature does not adequately consider the importance of culture, proximity to suppliers and impact of policy objectives of national governments on the success of supermarkets in host countries, especially in developing countries. It also does not consider the nature of competitive rivalry between supermarkets and how this affects internationalisation. This paper highlights the importance of these factors in understanding the outcomes in selected southern African countries.

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  • Reena das Nair, 2018. "The internationalisation of supermarkets and the nature of competitive rivalry in retailing in southern Africa," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(3), pages 315-333, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:deveza:v:35:y:2018:i:3:p:315-333
    DOI: 10.1080/0376835X.2017.1390440
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    Cited by:

    1. Margareet Visser & Matthew Alford, 2024. "Governance and Power Across Intersecting Value Chains: The Case of South African Apples," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 189(1), pages 69-86, January.
    2. Yuan, Yuan & Si, Zhenzhong & Zhong, Taiyang & Huang, Xianjin & Crush, Jonathan, 2021. "Revisiting China’s supermarket revolution: Complementarity and co-evolution between traditional and modern food outlets," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    3. van Berkum, Siemen, 2022. "IFAD Research Series 77: The role of trade and policies in improving food security," IFAD Research Series 321997, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
    4. Florian Kroll & Elizabeth Catherina Swart & Reginald Adjetey Annan & Anne Marie Thow & David Neves & Charles Apprey & Linda Nana Esi Aduku & Nana Ama Frimpomaa Agyapong & Jean-Claude Moubarac & Andrie, 2019. "Mapping Obesogenic Food Environments in South Africa and Ghana: Correlations and Contradictions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-31, July.
    5. Ivan Turok & Justin Visagie, 2020. "Building malls or metros?: South Africa's exports of tradable urban services to the rest of Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-94, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. Jane Battersby, 2019. "The Food Desert as a Concept and Policy Tool in African Cities: An Opportunity and a Risk," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-15, January.

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