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.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Theoretical background & problem definition
3 Literature review: Retail food waste
3.1 Scale
3.2 Root causes
3.3 Solutions
3.3.1 Overarching concepts
3.3.2 Product & packaging
3.3.3 Logistics & supply chain efficiency
3.3.4 Marketing & consumer education
3.3.5 Redistribution & repurposing
3.4 Summary & outlook
4 Literature review: Future grocery retail operations
4.1 Overarching concepts
4.2 Trend 1: Omnichannel
4.3 Trend 2: Personalisation
4.4 Trend 3: Experience & technology in store
5 Conceptual model
6 Methodology
6.1 Research approach
6.2 Research design & process
7 Results
7.1 Omnichannel
7.1.1 Capacity
7.1.2 Supply Network
7.1.3 Process Technology
7.1.4 Development & Organisation
7.1.5 Other implications
7.1.6 Summary
7.2 Personalisation
7.2.1 Capacity
7.2.2 Supply Network
7.2.3 Process Technology
7.2.4 Development & Organisation
7.2.5 Summary
7.3 Experience & technology in store
7.3.1 Capacity
7.3.2 Supply Network
7.3.3 Process Technology
7.3.4 Development & Organisation
7.3.5 Summary
8 Discussion
8.1 Limitations & weaknesses
9 Conclusion & Outlook
Research Objectives and Themes
This dissertation examines the impact of future grocery retail trends on food waste, aiming to provide retailers with actionable insights for their operations strategy. The study explores how shifting retail models can be leveraged to mitigate food waste while maintaining business performance.
- Retail food waste: Root causes and mitigation strategies.
- Future retail trends: Omnichannel business models, personalisation, and in-store experience technology.
- Operations strategy: Using a conceptual model to align retail improvements with waste reduction.
- Sustainability and competitive advantage: Integrating environmental goals into core retail business operations.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 Root causes
There is extensive research available about the root causes of retail food waste. Apart from minor in-store food loss due to product damage and wrong handling, the most common reason for food wasted in retail operations is items’ passed expiry dates (Kaipia, Dukovska-Popovska and Loikkanen, 2013). Yet “outdated” products are only the symptom or result of several underlying root causes which vary depending on store formats and product categories. Most researchers have categorised root causes into 2-3 groups.
According to Mena, Adenso-Diaz and Yurt (2011), the reasons for retail food waste lie within (1) mega-trends in the marketplace that shape customer habits and expectations regarding quality and freshness; (2) natural, product- or process-related constraints such as perishability and (3) root causes related to management practices.
Teller et al. (2018) perceive the drivers of retail food waste to be related to (1) undesirable customer behaviour and unpredictable demand; (2) inefficiencies in in-store operations, and replenishment policies; and (3) high-quality requirements by consumers, authorities and retail organisations alike. Scholars also highlight the shared responsibility among customers, the store, its parent organisation and legislators (Kliaugaite and Kruopiene, 2018).
In their contributions, Moraes et al. (2020) and Moser (2020) differentiate between internal and external causes which are partly controllable by retailers and partly related to other actors in the FSC. Both stress that the leading root causes are interrelated and should be addressed through comprehensive multi-stakeholder initiatives.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Defines the scope of the food waste problem and introduces the dissertation's focus on linking retail operations strategy with sustainability goals.
2 Theoretical background & problem definition: Establishes the Natural Resource-Based View (NRBV) and operations strategy as the theoretical framework for analyzing retail food waste.
3 Literature review: Retail food waste: Discusses the scale, causes, and existing solutions for food waste within the retail sector.
4 Literature review: Future grocery retail operations: Reviews key trends in retail, specifically omnichannel, personalisation, and in-store experience/technology.
5 Conceptual model: Outlines the strategic reconciliation model used to connect operations decisions with market requirements and waste mitigation.
6 Methodology: Describes the explorative, literature-based research approach and the design of the study.
7 Results: Evaluates the impact of identified trends on retail operations parameters and provides implications for food waste mitigation.
8 Discussion: Critically evaluates the research findings, identifying key limitations and discussing the broader implications for retail food waste.
9 Conclusion & Outlook: Summarizes key findings and suggests future research directions regarding the intersection of retail operations and waste management.
Keywords
Retail, Food waste, Operations strategy, Sustainability, Omnichannel, Personalisation, In-store technology, Supply chain, Demand forecasting, Shelf-life, Food loss, Retail management, Consumer behavior, Waste hierarchy, Business analytics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary objective of this research?
The research aims to explore how future retail trends, such as omnichannel models and personalisation, can be integrated into operations strategy to reduce food waste effectively.
What are the key themes addressed in the work?
The core themes include the scale and root causes of retail food waste, future grocery retail trends, and the strategic alignment of operations to mitigate waste.
How is the problem of retail food waste framed?
The work frames retail food waste as a systemic operations management issue caused by demand and supply mismatches, rather than just an environmental or ethical concern.
What methodology does the author employ?
The dissertation uses an explorative, qualitative research approach, synthesizing secondary data and literature to inform operations strategy decision areas.
What does the main body of the work focus on?
The main body examines three specific trends—omnichannel retailing, personalisation, and in-store technology—and analyzes their specific impacts on operational capacity, supply networks, and process technology.
Which concepts define this research?
The work is anchored by the Natural Resource-Based View (NRBV) of the firm and the operations strategy matrix by Slack and Lewis.
How does omnichannel retailing affect food waste?
Omnichannel models can reduce waste through better data integration and flexible fulfillment, but they risk shifting the food waste burden to consumers due to convenience and home-delivery packaging.
What is the role of personalization in waste reduction?
Personalization allows for targeted demand management, such as dynamic pricing and personalized recommendations for suboptimal products, which can significantly improve shelf-life management.
- Citar trabajo
- Simon Schäffer (Autor), 2020, Reducing Food Waste in future Retail. Trends and Implications for Operations Strategy, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/979542
