Spatial patterns of food retailers and consequences for logistics A comparison between France and Germany

Abstract

Food retail is a market sector which has experienced fierce competition and changes in structure in the recent decades. To withstand the market situation and to remain competitive, retailers’ choice of location for their distribution centres and points of sale becomes a central aspect of their strategy. But in a context of sustainable transport expectations, the interdependencies between retailers’ location strategies and their transportation needs have been largely ignored by researchers. This paper focuses on spatial patterns of food retailers and their impact on freight transportation structures. Based on the data of over 50,000 points of sale and more than 1,500 distribution centres, the spatial patterns of the food retailers of France and Germany are reflected and analysed The findings of this research contribute to a better understanding of the spatial patterns of the retailers and their consequences of the geography of the logistic resources (logistic hubs, distribution centres, warehouses) and transport flows. The French-German-comparison opens up unique possibilities of deeper insights into strategies, pointing out their differences and consequences for freight transport.