Supply chain resilience and design in retail supermarkets

Abstract

The Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry continues to present and deliver products to end consumers irrespective of the conditions faced in the business. The nature of disruptions that unexpectedly affect retail supermarkets needs to be strategically addressed to ensure product availability to the end consumer. The Resilience concept is an important supply chain upcoming research area that can remove disruptions without affecting the retail business operations. This article sought to understand supply chain resilience and supply chain design in the retail industry. South African retail supermarkets encounters varied threats to its business and the limited literature on the concepts of supply chain design and supply chain resilience have prompted this study. The limited literature on both concepts has prompted this study especially in a developing economy such as South Africa. A quantitative research design was adopted. Purposive sampling was used to identify managers and supervisors of the selected retail supermarkets in Durban South Africa within the FMCG retail industry with an estimated population of 1509 and a sample size of 306. The multiple regression analysis was engaged to display the extent of supply chain resilience and design in the selected retail outlets. The study revealed that transport network, technology advancement and environmental changes contributed mostly to the dimensions that affect the retail supply chain when designing for resilience. The study enables supply chain retailers in the retail industry to understand the factors to consider when designing their supply chain. This study adds to the academic body of knowledge by being one empirical study that conducted analysis on the constructs of supply chain design and supply chain resilience. ND NEBOH TP MBHELE Supply Chain resilience and design in retail supermarkets

Emergent marketing strategies and their influence on the Customer Value Proposition of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) businesses during Covid 19 Pandemic in Botswana

“…It thus adds to the theoretical discourse on this area that can be looked into from different angles as in exploring the how CVP can be improved in the retail business through consideration of other elements other than transition in marketing strategies. The findings of the research are in agreement with other previous studies done outside Botswana (Delasay et al, 2022;Donthu & Gustafsson, 2020;Emongor & Kirsten, 2009;Eriksson & Stenius, 2020;Neboh & Mbhele, 2020;Redda, 2021) that during uncertain economic times it is important to revisit the set strategies and make changes where relevant. The research has identified practical measures that could be applied in the management of retail businesses during uncertain economic times.…”

“…Studies (Anik et al, 2021;Delasay et al, 2022) show that online shopping remains attractive due to minimal health concerns as compared to the traditional retail setup. Consumers have more in-depth knowledge about online shopping and related technologies; hence, this is a threat to the brick-and-mortar set-up due to improved efficiencies, customer awareness, and suppleness (Neboh & Mbhele, 2020).…”

Initial impact assessment of Covid-19 on retailing: Changing consumer behaviour and retail trade sales

“…The South African retail environment is dynamic as it is subject to new entrants, changing political and demographic forces, and technological advancements. Neboh and Mbhele (2020) are of the view that online retailing may pose a threat to the sector as it brings flexibility, efficiency, and awareness to consumers with knowledge and experience.…”