دانلود رایگان مقاله مقایسه خرده فروشی و توزیع ساختارهای مواد غذایی در فرانسه و آلمان

Abstract

When modeling international freight transport, it is tempting to assume logistical structures for national markets all over the world are almost identical, at least when it comes to specific market segments, e.g. food or fashion. This is not the case, though. Despite several parallels, there are some fundamental differences which are reflected in different logistics food distribution systems and which result in different freight transport demand. The DLR Institute of Transport Research in cooperation with IFSTTAR France conducted a detailed empirical analysis of the food retail market in France and in Germany. Based on the data collected, the differences in transport demand structures for the same product are outlined. The implications of such differences for the requirements of international freight transport modeling are discussed in conclusion.

5. Summary and impact of findings

on freight modeling The above analysis has revealed that for the same market in adjacent countries, in this case food retailing in France and Germany, differences as well as similarities can be found in distribution patterns and supply structures. In both markets a trend towards an expansion of the total sales area and an increase in the total of food stores can be observed. Also, both food markets are dominated by a small number of retail groups in the food sector which generate about three quarter of all food sales. There are some noticeable differences, though. The network of retail outlets is denser in Germany than in France, and the successful retail formats in each market are different, too: whereas in Germany discounters make the most turnover, in France the format of hypermarkets is more popular. By considering the features of the POSs together with the spatial patterns of their DCs,the present analysis of distribution structures was deepened. The research investigated the link between the characteristics of food retail systems (formats, size of POS) and the geography of their DCs in France and Germany. The analysis of the distribution structures indicated that distribution centers are located nearby agglomerations of POSs in both markets. The detailed comparison of food retailers in Germany and France shows, however, that the spatial distribution of DCs is not only related to the availability of resources (infrastructures etc.). The spatial pattern also depends on the specific retail system’s characteristics. In fact, the geography of DCs is strongly related to the format and to the size of stores. Nevertheless, a more regionally oriented catchment area of DCs in Germany became evident during the analyses, which is reflected by a decentralized structure of DCs. The analyzed data and interviews for France and Germany also confirm the conclusions of Andreoli et al. (2010) that the recenttrend in the geography of retailers’ warehousing has also been driven by industry consolidations and the microeconomics of big-box retailing, where advantage is gained from economies of scale in production, sourcing, and distribution (Bonacich and Wilson, 2008). Furthermore, there are still national specificities behind the macro forces of globalization. In addition to these complex systems of country, location, format and size-specific differentiation, food-retailers develop specific logistics’ organizations by type of product: grocery, household and personal care, beverages, perishables, frozen food or general goods.