Value of Brands and Other Attributes: Hedonic Analysis of Retail Frozen Fish in the UK

In the frozen processed seafood market, through branding, product forms, and portion sizes, retailers target certain segments of the market, such as families with children, singles, or value-conscious consumers. To investigate how segmented the UK retail frozen seafood market is, this study utilizes a hedonic pricing model applied to scanner data to determine the relative value of attributes such as species, national and private brands, package size, and product and process forms. The results have implications for the seafood supply chain, as retailers influence what products processors produce. They also contribute to the highly diverse demand patterns facing fishermen and aquaculture producers.Hedonic analysis, scanner data, seafood, Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, International Relations/Trade, Marketing, C23, D21, Q11, Q22,

The Impact of Act 148 on Food-Insecure Populations in Chittenden and Essex Counties of Vermont

It is estimated that as much as 40% of the food produced in the United States goes to waste (Hall, Guo, Dore, & Chow, 2009), and much is still edible when it is disposed of. Simultaneously, the United States faces significant food insecurity, with an estimated 12.7% of the population meeting the criteria in 2015 (Coleman-Jensen, Rabbit, Gregory, & Singh, 2016). In 2012, Vermont passed the Universal Recycling of Solid Waste Act, or Act 148, which bans recyclable materials from landfills by 2020 by mandating their recovery (VT DEC, 2014). Because the law includes edible food waste and prioritizes food donation, it has the potential to increase donations to food-recovery and -distribution programs. I evaluate whether or not Act 148 has led to increased food donations; if so, whether its impact has been equal in diverse regions of the state; and if an increase in food availability has resulted in increased food access. I compare Chittenden and Essex counties, which differ greatly in population size and density, urban development, and rates of food insecurity, through a series of semi-structured interviews with directors of food-aid organizations in both counties. Of the generally larger and well-supported Chittenden organizations, 100% had heard of Act 148 and 75% had seen increases in donations as a result. The smaller organizations in Essex, serving populations with higher food insecurity, had seen no changes since the law’s implementation. These findings lead to the conclusion that the impact has not been equal across the state and has not affected the most food-insecure populations

SHELF LABELING OF ORGANIC FOODS: EFFECTS ON CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS AND SALES

The organic food industry is undergoing tremendous expansion. Retail grocers and organic food suppliers are interested in promoting organic foods to customers in mainstream grocery stores. The purpose of this study was to determine if point of purchase (POP) signage in retail grocery stores affects customer perceptions of organic foods and organic food purchasing behavior (sales). An experimental study was designed in which control and two levels of POP signage were tested in two grocery store environments in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Ten stores were involved; six from an upscale chain and four from a discount/warehouse chain. A customer intercept interview method was used to determine the perceptions of approximately 400 customers in each store; and sales data were tracked for 14 selected organic food items. Results revealed that customers in upscale stores were more likely than discount/warehouse store customers to recognize signs designating organic foods. Younger people, women and those having larger household sizes recognized organic signage most often. In both chains, signage increased the proportion of customers who reported ever buying and planning to buy organic foods. Sales data suggest a positive effect of POP signage on volume of sales for some, but not all tracked foods. Signage significantly increased the sales of skim milk, butter, eggs, deli bread, fresh carrots, spaghetti and flaked cereal in the discount/warehouse stores. In the upscale stores, significant effects of POP signage were found for skim milk, spaghetti, peach nectar and fresh carrots when the sales figures were adjusted for the store's weekly sales volume. The mixed sales results underscore the dynamic interplay between the store environment, its customers, and POP technology.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Marketing,

Assessment of S.A.R. warehousing activities: a proposal for improvements

The logistics market has been evolving over the years as well as its importance and the role it has been performing in every human and organization’s life. This master thesis is a project developed about Sociedade Açoreana de Representações, Ltda. (S.A.R.), that is one of the 1.162.069 Portuguese SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) representing 99,9% of the Portuguese business market. S.A.R. operates in the non-specialized wholesale trade industry and it is responsible for product’s distribution of exclusive and own brands in Azores. This project is under the logistics study and, through the analysis of its warehousing activities, mainly the storing and picking activity, aims to propose improvement solutions. In order to deliver value-added suggestions, information about the described activities and warehouse layout were collected with the goal of forecasting orders through different techniques. Afterwards, the analyzed families were allocated in the storing area through two different criteria, the ABC turnover rate of the forecasted orders as well as the COI criteria, according to the dedicated and class-based storage methods. The final step of this project was to assess the performance of each storage model and compare it with S.A.R.’s current allocation of products, through the distance travelled by pickers. Results demonstrated that it is possible to improve S.A.R.'s current performance, between 47% and 66%, depending on the criteria and methods applied. These results represent an improvement between 2.298.720 and 3.192.144 travelled meters, considering the forecasted orders between July 2017 and June 2018Ao longo dos anos, a importância do mercado logístico tem vindo a evoluir, tanto no papel que desempenha na vida das organizações como na vida das pessoas. Esta tese de mestrado é um projeto desenvolvido acerca da empresa Sociedade Açoreana de Representações Ltda. (S.A.R.) que se engloba no mercado de PME (Pequenas e Médias Empresas), representado por 1.162.069 empresas (99,9% do tecido empresarial português). A S.A.R. atua no mercado de Comércio por Grosso Não Especializado e é responsável pela distribuição de marcas exclusivas e produtos próprios, nos Açores. Este projeto enquadra-se no âmbito da logística e, através da análise das atividades de armazenagem, sobretudo arrumação e "picking" de produtos, e propõe-se alcançar propostas de melhoria. De forma a acrescentar valor, foi recolhida informação, sobre as atividades supramencionadas bem como sobre o "layout" do armazém, objetivando a previsão de encomendas mediante diferentes técnicas. Por conseguinte, as famílias analisadas foram alocadas na respetiva área de armazenagem de acordo com diferentes critérios, nomeadamente as análises ABC e COI ("Cube-per-Order Index"), tendo em conta o modelo de arrumação fixa e o "class-based". Finalmente, foi avaliada e comparada a performance de cada modelo de arrumação com a presente disposição de produtos da empresa em análise, mediante a distância percorrida pelos "pickers". Resultados demonstram que é possível otimizar a performance da empresa entre 47% e 66%. Estas propostas permitem uma redução entre 2.298.720 e 3.192.144 metros tendo em conta a previsão das encomendas realizadas entre julho 2017 e junho 2018

Marypaz marketing plan: merchandising strategies in footwear stores

This master thesis project has the objective to develop an applied project for the Spanish footwear brand – MARYPAZ. We intend to implement new merchandising strategies not only in stores that already exist in Portugal, but also, new ones to be created in our territory. In this project, we have studied the footwear market in order to understand what could be our opportunities and our main treats in the sector, and therefore, how could be our approach to gain ground in the Portuguese market. Accordingly, we have identified, through an online survey, our respondents’ purchasing habits in general, and additionally, their preferences regarding the layout of a store. Based on these results, we were able to create a marketing plan that will respond to our audience’s needs. A marketing strategy was planned and marketing-mix elements were designed to formulate a new store concept that will renew MARYPAZ’s image and, consequently, restore brand’s recognition and make it more competitive. Having these components well established, we can proceed with the implementation of our project.Esta tese de mestrado tem o objetivo de desenvolver um projecto aplicado para a marca espanhola de calçado – MARYPAZ. Pretendemos implementar novas estratégias de merchandising não só em lojas MARYPAZ que já existam em Portugal, mas também em lojas novas a serem criadas no nosso território. Neste projecto, estudámos o mercado de calçado de forma a compreender quais poderiam ser as nossas oportunidades, assim como, as nossas maiores ameaças no sector e, consequentemente, qual poderia ser a nossa abordagem para ganhar terreno no mercado Português. Desta forma, identificámos, através de um questionário online, os hábitos de consumo, em geral, dos nossos inquiridos e, adicionalmente, as suas preferências relativamente ao layout de uma loja. Com base nestes resultados, foi-nos possível criar um plano de marketing que irá corresponder às necessidades da nossa audiência. Uma estratégia de marketing foi planeada e os elementos do marketing-mix delineados de modo a formular um novo conceito de loja que irá renovar a imagem da MARYPAZ e, consequentemente, restaurar o reconhecimento da marca e torná-la mais competitiva. Tendo estes componentes bem estabelecidos, somos capazes de proceder com a implementação do nosso projecto