Author(s)

T. Svensson

Abstract

The diminishing market for local food stores: A case for collective action? T. Svensson Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute Abstract Many countries in Europe have launched policies and planning guidelines with a more restrictive attitude towards out-of-town establishments in grocery retailing. Two possible justifications for these policies are the risk that social dilemmas influence the households' choice of which stores to use, and that many consumers would favour a d~fferent situation. In order to find if there are any efficiency problems in this field of inquiry, a study was carried out which will be discussed in this paper. The study combines a cost evaluation with a demand analysis for different store categories in grocery retailing. The data necessary for the demand analysis was generated by a postal questionnaire with hypothetical questions about households' choice of stores, together with questions about socio-economic conditions and actual purchasing behaviour. The r

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