Food waste remains a major economic, environmental, and social challenge for different food supply chain actors. Grocery retailers play a central role in food waste mitigation due to their unique position next to producers and consumers. Root causes of retail food waste are manifold and complex but can be related to systemic operational mismatches between demand prediction and supply forecasting. Existing solutions and mitigation strategies mainly focus on today’s “brick-and-mortar” retail operation designs. Socio-economic environment and consumer habits constantly evolve with food retailers adapting operations strategies. This literature-based research explores the impact of future retail trends on retail-related food waste and provides risks and opportunities to inform retail operations strategy. Findings suggest that omnichannel business models, personalisation, experience shopping and instore technology offer opportunities for food waste mitigation across waste-hierarchy destinations. Retail operation strategies should address increasing household responsibility and avoid food waste, shifting towards later consumption stages in food supply chains. Contributions are not empirically validated through primary data, but results may form the basis for further studies in future retail operations and/or retail food waste.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Acknowledgements
- List of Abbreviations
- Executive Summary / Abstract
- Table of Contents
- List of Figures
- Introduction
- Theoretical background & problem definition
- Literature review: Retail food waste
- Scale
- Root causes
- Solutions
- Overarching concepts
- Product & packaging
- Logistics & supply chain efficiency
- Marketing & consumer education
- Redistribution & repurposing
- Summary & outlook
- Literature review: Future grocery retail operations
- Overarching concepts
- Trend 1: Omnichannel
- Trend 2: Personalisation
- Trend 3: Experience & technology in store
- Conceptual model
- Methodology
- Research approach
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This dissertation explores the potential impacts of future retail trends on food waste mitigation within the retail sector. It investigates the challenges and opportunities arising from the evolving landscape of grocery retail operations, particularly focusing on the intersection of emerging trends and food waste reduction strategies.
- The scale and root causes of food waste in the retail sector
- Existing solutions and mitigation strategies for retail food waste
- The impact of future retail trends, such as omnichannel, personalization, and in-store technology, on food waste
- Opportunities and risks associated with these trends for retail operations strategy
- The potential for retail operations to address household responsibility and shift consumption patterns in relation to food waste.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter sets the stage for the research, introducing the problem of food waste and its relevance to the grocery retail sector. It highlights the need for understanding the relationship between future retail trends and food waste mitigation strategies.
- Theoretical background & problem definition: This chapter lays the groundwork for the research by exploring relevant theoretical frameworks and defining the research problem within the context of food waste and future retail trends.
- Literature review: Retail food waste: This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of existing research on retail food waste, encompassing its scale, root causes, and a range of mitigation strategies. It explores various approaches, including those focused on product and packaging, logistics and supply chain efficiency, consumer education, and redistribution.
- Literature review: Future grocery retail operations: This chapter delves into emerging trends shaping the future of grocery retail operations, such as omnichannel strategies, personalization, and the integration of technology in-store. It examines how these trends are influencing retail operations and customer behavior.
- Conceptual model: This chapter presents a conceptual model that integrates the insights from the literature review on retail food waste and future retail trends. It aims to provide a framework for understanding the potential impact of future retail trends on food waste mitigation strategies.
- Methodology: This chapter outlines the research approach used to conduct this dissertation, including the methods for data collection and analysis. It describes the rationale behind the chosen research methods and their suitability for addressing the research objectives.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This research focuses on the interplay between food waste mitigation and evolving retail trends. Key terms include food waste, retail operations, future retail, omnichannel, personalization, experience shopping, in-store technology, food supply chain, and sustainable development.
- Quote paper
- Simon Schäffer (Author), 2020, Reducing Food Waste in future Retail. Trends and Implications for Operations Strategy, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/979542
