Oligopoly and the structural paradox of retail TNCs: an assessment of Carrefour and Wal-Mart in Japan

This research focuses on the case of international chains facingsignificant competition from domestic chains in advanced industrializedeconomies. In this article, I question the assumptions behindthe perceived, simultaneous process of globalization and retailconcentration by taking the cases of the world's two largestretailers, Wal-Mart and Carrefour, entering the Japanese marketin the early 2000s. Both retail TNCs have so far failed to meetinitial high expectations for their performance. I argue thatthere is a structural paradox inherent among retail TNCs, whichis expressed as contradictory forces between standardizationand localization. Empirical evidence is provided on how theseforces complicate retail TNCs’ front-end (store-front)and back-end (distribution) operations in the case of Japan.Emphasis is placed on the role of oligopoly in the retail sectorand how its absence affects retail TNCs’ operation inforeign markets.     

RESISTANCE AND STRATEGIC RESPONSES IN FOOD SUPPLY NETWORKS: METRO CASH & CARRY IN BANGALORE

The transnational expansion of large retail and wholesale companies such as Metro, Carrefour and Wal‐Mart has caused changes in the market situation and consequent power shifts, not only in the retail sector but also in the supply networks in host countries. These developments at least potentially endanger the livelihoods of old established retailers, intermediaries and employees of these businesses. Thus, it is not surprising that the investments of the transnational companies can result in resistance from those affected. As an analysis of Metro and its activities in the federal state of Karnataka in India shows, this resistance can influence the activities of the company to develop a modern supply network. This study analyses the way in which the actors of resistance develop and exercise power and how this in turn influences Metro. The global production network (GPN) approach is used as an analytical framework. The results emphasize the importance of networks external to the firm for the analysis of processes of globalization. The company's behaviour cannot be understood unless the resistance is taken into account. The study shows that the GPN framework provides the tools to analyse the influence of actors such as civil society groups, trade unions and associations as part of the production network. However, up to now this option has rarely been used.     

EMBEDDEDNESS AND THE (RE)MAKING OF RETAIL SPACE IN THE REALM OF MULTICHANNEL RETAILING: THE CASE OF MIGROS SANAL MARKET IN TURKEY

The purpose of this article is to investigate the value of the concept of embeddedness for economic geographers. Alongside the case study of the multichannel grocery retailing brand Migros in Turkey, the spatial impacts – in relational and physical terms – of digitalization and the integration of an online shop into the profile of a supermarket chain are investigated. In applying the concept of embeddedness the article seeks to understand these complex, diverse and uneven processes of (retail) restructurings that affect different dimensions and dynamics of networks, societies and spaces. In my case study I identify two dimensions of embeddedness processes: (1) embedding the online shop in the firm's routines and practices, whereby processes of transfer of knowledge and technology dominate; and (2) embedding online shopping in the customer's routines and practices, whereby processes of adaption to consumer culture dominate. These dimensions are reflexive and as such mirror ongoing negotiation processes between the two stakeholders. On one hand multichannel retailing thus not only alters where but also how people shop, and can result in new retail spaces like pick‐up stores. On the other hand it can be shown, that the “locations”, where online shopping of Migros is available, reproduce spatial variations of socio‐economic factors, such as income distribution or population density. As such, the concept of embeddedness is useful for economic geographers – also in the realm of e‐commerce – to unravel the interconnections of societal, organizational and spatial patterns as well as their variations across space. The study is based on qualitative interviews.     

携程旅行网旅游“新零售”空间格局及形成机制——以上海市线下门店为例

基于携程位于上海市的线下门店及相关POI 数据，运用 GIS 空间分析和地理探测器等方法，探讨携程旅游“新零售”空间格局、区位选址及形成机制。结果表明：①携程旅游“新零售”在发展初期，其区位选址仍具有向心性，但不如传统零售业对城市中心区位需求强烈，向中心城区边缘及城市近郊区域下沉趋势明显；②呈现集聚分布特征，形成“多中心-外扩”式分布模式；③区位选址依赖于以写字楼为主的线下生活服务场景，对商务办公区的偏好超越对商业中心的偏好。交通区位、传统旅行社分布、地租水平影响次之，CBD 趋近度、商圈等级影响较小；④携程线下门店空间格局及区位特征是企业业务板块规划、地理实体空间竞争、区域产业配套水平共同作用形成的结果。     

跨越地理边界的地方性食物——以广州流动群体的饮食消费为例

地方性食物原本被定义成在清晰的地理边界内生产的食物，是“本地人”抵抗极端商品化食物系统的有力武器，但以地理边界为中心的视角压抑了消费者身体的积极作用，也忽视了作为“外来者”的流动群体的在地饮食体验。基于对广州流动群体的日常饮食消费的深入考察，本研究发现：流动群体对跨越地理边界的故乡食物和广州本地食物主动赋予丰富的地方性意涵，构筑日常饮食“流动的地方性”。基于身体与食物的关系视角，本研究认为身体接触食物的契合感受以及与食物提供者的信任关系奠定了流动群体建构地方性食物的基本途径。区别于反抗式的地方性食物运动，流动群体把地方性食物嵌入在地生活，凸显多重的日常意义，主要表现在突破食物知识困境，缓解饮食焦虑，以及增进身体和地方的亲密关系。