Supply Chain Organisation for Proximity Distribution: Comparison between French and Japanese Models

authors

  • Capo Claire
  • Chanut Odile

keywords

  • France
  • Japan
  • Convenience stores
  • Proximity stores
  • Supply chain organisation
  • Proximity

document type

ART

abstract

Convenience stores (CS) – or local stores-take different forms worldwide reflecting national market characteristics. In France, the mass retail sector is led by a few powerful retailing groups along directive lines. Power is more diffuse in Japan, with intermediaries playing a significant role and regulating the supply chains along more collaborative lines. Using a grid to analyse seven dimensions of proximity, we compare business models which include supply chain organisation for local store chain in Japan (so-called convenience stores) and in France (so-called proximity stores). What we identify is significant convergence amongst local store chain models relating to most of the aforementioned dimensions of proximity except for the inter-organisational proximity in which lies some major divergences.

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