Marketing Strategy: The Way to Create Store Loyalty in Indonesia Modern Retail

Supermarket in Indonesia and other countries is important for people to come and shop for primary and secondary necessities. With high economy growth supermarket business should have a good opportunity to survive the Covid 19 pandemic. Many people still shop in a brickand-mortar store for supermarket in Indonesia, thus it is possible that this type of business will still be growing in the future. As one of the leading local modern supermarkets in Surabaya, Hokky Supermarket defines itself as supermarket that provides premium ingredients and unique products. The sample used in this study includes Hokky Supermarket costumers domiciled in Surabaya, who are man and woman aged between 18-60, have visited and make a purchase at Hokky Supermarket Surabaya for at least 2 times in the last 3 months, have visited and made a purchase at other supermarkets in Surabaya for at least 2 times in the last 3 months, and have asked for help or interacted with Hokky Supermarket Surabaya employees. There are 139 respondents. Based on the data analysis, it can be concluded that all the five hypotheses in this research are supported.

Consumer attitudes and sociodemographic profiles in purchasing organic food products: evidence from a Greek and Swedish survey

PurposeThis study explores Greek and Swedish consumers' attitude towards organic food consumption in order to demonstrate possible differences that can be identified based on health and ecological consciousness beliefs rather than demographic factors. The examination of an emerging and a more mature market allow the authors to provide more targeted marketing strategies that possibly increase organic food consumption in both countries.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopt an econometric approach to the analysis of consumer behavior in relation to organic food consumption in Sweden and Greece. More specifically, the authors examine the motivations and postexperiences of organic food consumers of different socioeconomic profiles in these two countries, one in northern and one in southern Europe. The authors apply an ordered logistic regression analysis model to map out the interaction between consumer attitudes and sociodemographic variables.FindingsThe authors results show that consumers in Sweden more frequently purchase organic foods than consumers in Greece. Environmental protection and ethical values increase the odds for Swedish organic food consumers to buy organic food products. Health consciousness and family well-being are perceived as factors that increase the odds for Greek organic food consumers to buy organic foods. Sociodemographic factors do not play a pivotal role for consumer behavior in relation to organic food in both countries.Originality/valueThis study distinguishes between organic food consumers in two countries with different levels of organic food production and export activity, size of organic market, national organic labeling system and legal definition and standards of organic food. Within these differences, the organic food industry could align its marketing efforts better rather focus on simplistic demographics. The current view unfolds the fact that there are limited studies comparing two European markets at different stages of development and the factors that influence organic food consumer behavior.

Purchase Motives of Retail Consumers Nanostores: Evidence from Indonesia: Acces la Success

Many researchers have studied purchasing motives at retail hypermarkets and modern retail scales. However, it is still rarely found in micro or nano-scale retail stores though nanostores are much higher, especially in developing countries. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the factors that motivate someone to buy goods at the nanostore. The research was done using the explanatory survey method. The number of samples is 210 respondents. The data were process using confirmatory factor analysis. The research location is in a big city in Indonesia, namely Bandung City. This city is a city of tourism and trade. The results of the study prove that 12 factors determine consumer motives for shopping at nanostores. These 12 factors are grouped into three: product attributes, self-orientation, and service guarantees. Although this study was conducted on consumer nanostores, the study results contribute to marketing theory, where service assurance is an important part of consumers' purchase motives. This study shows the retailers must understand consumers' buying motives and use the results of this study to increase sales turnover. The results of this study, when used by retail entrepreneurs, are predicted to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. Service guarantees are the main attraction for consumers to shop at nanostores and this is a new thing in the concept of purchasing motives. For the future, it is recommended to continue the study of purchase motives in modern countries. The concept of service guarantee needs to be researched to find out whether service guarantee can increase the loyalty of large, medium, and nanostore retail consumers.

The Impact of Fast-Food Density on Obesity during the COVID-19 Lockdown in the UK: A Multi-Timepoint Study on British Cohort Data

Poor food environments are considered to trigger obesity and related health complications by restricting the local food options to predominantly low quality, energy-dense foods. This study investigated the impact of the food environment on obesity with a focus on any changes that might have occurred around the COVID lockdown period in the UK when majority of the population relied on food delivery and the local food environments. The proportion of fast-food retailers in the area and the Retail Food Environment Index (RFEI) were calculated for participants of the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) at three timepoints: pre-COVID (2016), the first UK nation-wide lockdown (April–May 2020) and post lockdown (September–October 2020). The association of the food environment and the odds of obesity was estimated through multivariable logistic regression, with adjustments being made for selected socioeconomic variables. A model using the fast-food proportion as the sole predictor estimated that higher fast-food proportion increased the odds of obesity by 2.41 in 2016, 2.89 during the lockdown and 1.34 post lockdown, compared with 1.87, 2.23, and 0.73, respectively, for the same three periods with adjustments being made for select socioeconomic variables. On the other hand, RFEI increased the odds of obesity only slightly at 1.01, 1.02 and 1.03, respectively, with the model with adjustments yielding respective similar values. The fast-food proportion model indicates that proximity to a poor food environment is linked to obesity, especially during the COVID lockdown period, but the impact of a poor-food environment is limited if the RFEI is used as its indicator. The findings will add much needed insights on the UK data and will inform public health planning and policy.

Study on the Distribution of Fresh Food Support System—An Example of Shanghai during the Epidemic Closure of 2022

One of the key indicators to measure the sustainability and resilience of a city during a public health crisis is how well it can meet the daily needs of its residents. During the COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai in 2022, e-commerce shopping and delivery became the most important method for ensuring the city's material supplies. This article uses the distribution data of a fresh e-commerce platform's pre-warehouse and static population distribution data to establish a basic material supply system evaluation model for the city and explore its resilience potential. Focusing on the central urban area of Shanghai, this study uses a population heat map with geographic coordinates to reflect the static distribution of residents and obtains the distribution data of the e-commerce pre-warehouses. Using kernel density analysis, the relationship between the pre-warehouses and the residents' needs is established. Through analysis, it was found that the supply capacity of fresh food in different areas of Shanghai during the lockdown could be categorized as insufficient, adequate, or excessive. Based on these three categories, improvement strategies were proposed. Finally, this article suggests establishing a scientific supply security system to promote urban sustainability and prepare for future challenges.

Change and innovation in food aid provision in Sussex and Southwest London during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how food aid providers in Sussex and Southwest London responded and managed during the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe methodological approach consists of three inter-related layers. A qualitative description research approach based on naturalistic inquiry, supplemented by site visits and personal observations was used.FindingsThe pandemic catalysed dramatic, often positive, changes to the provision of food aid, with a move away from the traditional food bank model. It brought about increased coordination and oversight, as well as the upscaling of capabilities, infrastructure and provisions.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the literature on food aid in the UK It provides evidence for how providers are transforming the sector for the better and potentially helping to deal with the cost-of-living crisis.

Otimização do processo de picking em supermercados: um modelo matemático para roteamento de coleta de pedidos em comércio eletrônico

O comércio eletrônico tem sido uma oportunidade para as empresas acessarem um dos canais de venda mais rentáveis, a internet. A estratégia Omnichannel se consolidou no mercado, integrando os canais físicos e online para oferecer uma experiência de compra mais completa e personalizada aos clientes. No entanto, o segmento de alimentos online não se desenvolveu tão rapidamente quanto inicialmente esperado, o que levou a um certo ceticismo em relação a esse negócio. A pandemia da COVID-19 em 2020 causou uma mudança inesperada nesse cenário, forçando os supermercados a acelerar sua digitalização para encontrar novas maneiras de atender aos clientes em suas casas. O processo de separação, empacotamento e expedição de pedidos em uma loja online é conduzido por um responsável que atribui as atividades aos separadores levando em consideração a experiência do indivíduo. Embora os separadores mais experientes usem a topologia da loja para determinar o caminho mais eficiente, frequentemente os pedidos são atribuídos a trabalhadores com tempo parcial e sem vínculo empregatício, prejudicando o desempenho. Depois de coletados os itens, os pedidos são entregues a colaboradores responsáveis pelo empacotamento e expedição, sendo que o fluxo do processo é alterado de acordo com o tipo de serviço solicitado pelo cliente. Este trabalho apresenta e discute um modelo de programação linear inteira mista para solucionar o problema de roteamento de coleta com restrições específicas de um supermercado. Os testes realizados mostraram que a utilização de uma variação do modelo matemático do Problema do Caixeiro Viajante pode ser uma ferramenta útil para a tomada de decisões gerenciais na otimização do processo de picking em supermercados. Desta forma, os gestores podem definir estratégias específicas para melhorar a eficiência das entregas, reduzindo custos e tempo de espera dos clientes.Alternate :E-commerce has been an opportunity for companies to access one of the most profitable sales channels, the internet. The Omnichannel strategy has consolidated in the market, integrating physical and online channels to offer a more complete and personalized shopping experience to customers. However, the online food segment has not developed as quickly as initially expected, leading to some skepticism about this business. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused an unexpected shift in this scenario, forcing supermarkets to accelerate their digitalization to find new ways to serve customers in their homes. The process of picking, packing, and shipping orders in an online store is conducted by a responsible person who assigns activities to pickers, taking into account the individual's experience. Although more experienced pickers use the store's topology to determine the most efficient path, orders are often assigned to part-time workers without an employment relationship, which hampers performance. After items are collected, orders are delivered to employees responsible for packing and shipping, and the process flow is changed according to the type of service requested by the customer. This paper presents and discusses an integer linear programming model to solve the collection routing problem with specific constraints of a supermarket. The tests carried out showed that the use of the mathematical model of the Traveling Salesman Problem can be a useful tool for managerial decision-making in optimizing the picking process in supermarkets. Managers can define specific strategies to improve delivery efficiency, reducing costs and waiting time for customers.

A review of public policies on Covid-19: the New Zealand experience

PurposeThis article reviews New Zealand's journey through managing Covid-19. It provides a chronological overview of key developments. The article analyses the impacts of Covid-19 on business and society and offers lessons for others from the New Zealand case.Design/methodology/approachThe article draws on various sources, primarily media pieces and government information. It also critically analyses and interprets the New Zealand response.FindingsThe initial onset and response from the New Zealand government, albeit with closed borders, was effective in terms of keeping the country relatively Covid free. The country was slow to introduce vaccinations, but the uptake was swift. A vaccine mandate to coincide with a Delta outbreak was controversial. Importantly, the New Zealand case is characterised by political leadership strongly and explicitly informed by public health expertise and advice which was routinely demonstrated throughout the period in discussion.Originality/valueThe article offers an important overview and analysis of New Zealand's experience with Covid-19 and its response, with particular focus on the way in which the government and public health specialist advisors interacted.

Consumers' Behavior in the Field of Organic Agriculture and Food Products during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Czech Republic: Focus on a Comparison of Hyper-, Super- and Farmers' Markets and Direct Purchases from Producers

The aim of this paper is to assess Czech food consumers' behavior when buying organic products during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on the place of purchase of organic agriculture and food products—especially those purchases with the shortest logistics value chain, i.e., purchase at farmers' markets, or directly from the producer—and a comparison with the current most common places of purchase of organic products in the Czech Republic, supermarkets and hypermarkets. Categorical data analysis methods were used to create a profile of the consumer according to the most frequent purchase locations. To create mathematical–statistical models and interpretations, the methods of logistic regression, correspondence analysis and contingency table analysis were chosen. According to the results of the survey, respondents under 25 years of age are the least likely to make purchases at farmers' markets or directly from the producer. Consumers aged 26–35 and with a university degree are the most likely to buy organic agriculture and food products at this location, followed closely by older respondents in the categories 36–45 and 46+ and with a secondary education. It is important for manufacturers to have an overview of where, in what quantities, and for what reasons consumers buy their products, especially for reasons of production optimization and planning, ecological concerns, rural development, and the impact on local areas and the value chain.

Food insecurity and severe mental illness: understanding the hidden problem and how to ask about food access during routine healthcare

SUMMARYFood insecurity occurs when an individual lacks the financial resources to ensure reliable access to sufficient food to meet their dietary, nutritional and social needs. Adults living with mental ill health, particularly severe mental illness, are more likely to experience food insecurity than the general adult population. Despite this, most interventions and policy reforms in recent years have been aimed at children and families, with little regard for other vulnerable groups. Initiating a conversation about access to food can be tricky and assessing for food insecurity does not happen in mental health settings. This article provides an overview of food insecurity and how it relates to mental ill health. With reference to research evidence, the reader will gain an understanding of food insecurity, how it can be assessed and how food-insecure individuals with severe mental illness can be supported. Finally, we make policy recommendations to truly address this driver of health inequality.

How service operations, perceived benefit, and psychological ownership enhance customer retention in retail - evidence in Vietnam supermarkets

In a world with enormous opportunities and challenges from the 4.0 revolution and the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, customer retention is more important than ever for retailers. While marketing and advertising can be more or less limited during the pandemic, retailers pay more attention to the supply and service operations of products as salvage to satisfy the essential demands of customers. However, few scholars discuss the effects of service operations on customer retention in retail because it is lower consumer awareness and challenging to measure accurately and adequately. Therefore, with the foundation of commitment-trust theory, this study examines service operations' direct and indirect effects on customer retention through perceived benefit in omnichannel retailers. Simultaneously, it assesses how psychological ownership affects customer retention and moderates the effect of perceived benefit on customer retention in the Vietnamese supermarket as empirical evidence. The combination of a qualitative method (with 32 in-depth interviews) and a quantitative method (through a survey conducted with 374 shoppers) is implemented. Partial least-squares structural equation modelling with SmartPLS software is utilized for data analysis and hypothesis testing. From the findings, the study offers an operations perspective and a customer view of how to store service operations contribute to customer perception of benefits and customer retention. Interestingly, the study discovered that psychological ownership is not only a critical antecedent of customer retention but also enhances the effect of perceived benefit on customer retention as its moderating role. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Supply chain management practices, retail outlets attributes and organisational performance: a case of organised food retailers in India

PurposeThe aim of this study is to examine the impact of supply chain management (SCM) practices and retail outlet attributes on the performance of organised food retailers in India during COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachAuthors conducted empirical research with SCM practices and retail outlet attributes to evaluate the retailers' performance. The authors present the results from 321 valid responses from the Indian food retailers. The study used structured equation modeling to present the analysis and the results.FindingsThe findings of this study reveal that most of the SCM practices (i.e. information technology, level of information sharing, customer relationship, supplier relationship and goal congruence) have a positive impact on performance except the quality of information sharing. The results show that in the time of the pandemic, the retail outlet attributes (image, service quality and convenience) have no significant relationship with the food retailer's performance while SCM practices are necessary to achieve better performance of the food retailers.Research limitations/implicationsA proactive approach is needed from retailers at the time of pandemic situations to manage the supply chains. The retailers must be extra careful in screening the suppliers for the short and long run. The reason being that in the situation of pandemic, customers might be more demanding and hence, food retailers need to pay special attention to gain growth. It is also required that the policymakers should give importance to the implementation of these SCM practices to be positioned differently.Originality/valueThe research can be valued in terms of its original contribution towards companies in overcoming the disruption caused by COVID-19 to maintain a balance between demand and supply and proposes a completely new theoretical framework. The proposed theoretical model would add value to the existing literature to help the retailers in process of their performance improvement. The study has provided insights for retail organisations, suppliers and government departments to manage their SCs more effectively and efficiently during the pandemic.

The COVID-19 Crisis: An Opportunity to Integrate Food Democracy into Post-Pandemic Food Systems

The world economy is sliding yet into another recession (having arguably barely recovered from the previous economic downturn) due to the worldwide pressures and tensions created by the COVID-19 pandemic.1 With most countries in the world under lockdown (or in similar situations), almost all food is now consumed in the household. Arguably, agricultural producers and the retail industry appear to be the best placed to weather the storm in order to respond to such a change in demand. However, this is overly simplistic. Recent news of empty shelves in supermarkets whilst dairy farmers have been forced to pour milk down the drain have gone viral.

Blurred lines: the timeline of supply chain resilience strategies in the grocery industry in the time of Covid-19

To anticipate, adapt and respond to, and recover from disruptions, firms need to enhance supply chain (SC) resilience. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 represented a unique opportunity to investigate it empirically. This study focuses on the exploration of the resilience strategies adopted to deepen their temporal characteristics and contribute to developing the current understanding of proactivity and reactivity, something that needs to be further investigated. Multiple-case study research was conducted considering 21 Italian companies in the grocery industry. Results show that with the outbreak of the pandemic, companies adopted a set of 21 strategies that spanned five resilience categories: redundancy, flexibility, agility, collaboration, and innovation. To explain the temporal characteristics of the identified resilience strategies we propose an original taxonomy that elaborates the previous theory by introducing two new dimensions related to the strategies' timing ("when?” and "how long?”). Each dimension can be complemented with other sub-dimensions that explain the design and activation of resilience strategies, and their utilisation and availability. The proposed taxonomy broadens the narrow view offered by existing research on the temporal dimension of resilience, as multiple layers are needed to disentangle the temporal characteristics of different strategies. It also provides an original viewpoint on interpreting the strategies' proactivity or reactivity as their boundary is increasingly blurred. Lastly, the study opens up to future investigations of the antecedents of the design and utilisation/activation of resilience strategies, as companies could rethink their managerial decisions based on the continuous evolution of their operating environment.

Modeling Factors affecting Grocery Retail Store Choice in India Pre and Post-Covid-19 Outbreak

The Covid-19 pandemic outbreak had multi-dimensional impacts on people's daily lives. This work attempts to understand whether urban Indian households' preference for grocery stores changed after the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak and identify the factors influencing grocery store choice pre and post-pandemic outbreak. The work also studied whether households assigned greater importance to supply chain sustainability factors post-pandemic outbreak. The grocery purchase behaviour of urban Indian households was studied through an online survey of 506 households conducted during the initial phase of the pandemic outbreak. The survey questionnaire included sociodemographic, store and sustainability factors and store choice. The store choice determining factors and sustainability-related factors were taken from relevant literature. Store choice models were developed using a discrete choice multinomial logit model to understand the significant determining factors for retail store choice pre and postpandemic outbreak. In the pre-pandemic situation, household size, income, discount, product quality, ambience and the relationship with the shopkeeper significantly affected store choice. However, income, discount, store distance, pack size, credit facilities and delivery issues became significant post-pandemic outbreak. The popularity of most preferred local grocers increased post-pandemic outbreak. However, for higher-income customers or those preferring discounts, local store preference decreased, and multiple sourcing increased post-pandemic outbreak. Local store patrons valued relationship, quality and convenient shopping hours. Also, households were observed to be more concerned about food safety and nutrition rather than production method and animal welfare. With multiple ripples of the pandemic and fear of resurgence, the findings of this work will be valuable for designing customer retention strategies for various store formats in India.

The impact of e-retail usage on relative retail patronage formation

PurposeDespite retail digitisation and research efforts focussed on online and omnichannel shopping, there is insufficient knowledge regarding retail patronage formation in the grocery category, where in-store sales dominate. This study analyses the retail patronage formation in grocery in-store fill-in shopping.Design/methodology/approachThe authors designed a questionnaire to measure retail patronage behaviour, consumer satisfaction (CS), store attributes evaluation and e-retail usage. Then, the authors analysed the path structure for retail patronage behaviour formation using structural equation modelling. Additionally, they performed a mediation analysis using the bootstrap method and a moderation analysis based on a chi-square difference test.FindingsThis study provides three main findings. First, the authors' model has two ways to increase Share-of-Wallet (SOW). One is to increase Share-of-Visits (SOV) and another is to increase CS amongst non-users of e-retailing. Second, the results of the moderation analysis suggest the influence of customers' use or non-use of e-retailing on SOW formation. Third, service evaluation plays an interesting role in the overall model: the lower the assessment of service, the higher the SOV;the higher the evaluation of service, the greater the CS;the greater the CS, the higher the SOV.Originality/valueThe authors proposed the framework for the relative retail patronage formation in grocery fill-in shopping to examine the relationship between two relative patronage indicators (SOW and SOV) in the path structure and the mediating effect of CS and the moderating effect of e-retailing usage on retail patronage formation.

Entrepreneurial strategies for coping with supply chain disruptions in the grocery-retail sector

PurposeThis study aims to explore business strategies adopted by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK's grocery-retail industry to cope with supply chain (SC) disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted two phases of research methods. In Phase 1, in-depth interviews were conducted with ten SMEs from England. Whilst abiding by national guidelines on the travel restrictions imposed by the government, in Phase 2 email-based interviews were conducted with 22 SMEs across the UK's grocery-retail industry. The thematic analysis technique was adopted to analyse the data.FindingsThis study reveals that SMEs need clearer avenues of communication with the government and better resources for learning and training. SMEs also need to expand their implementation of information technology to improve SC collaboration. In the meantime, they need to improve their power positions in SCs and reduce dependence on SC partners.Originality/valueSMEs in the grocery-retailer industry have been increasingly under pressure to compete with bigger grocery retailers. During the pandemic they have faced great challenges and been looking for strategies to improve their performance. While a major proportion of participants in the grocery-retailer industry are fragmented SMEs, the majority of studies have focussed on larger retailers and end consumers. With the help of the social exchange theory, this research reveals new insights into business strategies to cope with SC disruptions, and offer the foundation for a new line of research on preparation for future disruptions.

What effect has Covid-19 had on changing household food consumption? A case study of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Four waves of the Covid-19 epidemic have drastically affected consumer behaviors in Vietnam, particularly during the period of social distancing in the second half of 2021. This study was done to investigate changes in household food acquisition and consumption patterns in Ho Chi Minh City. During the most severe wave of Covid-19 in Vietnam, an online poll was used to collect data from 130 customers in Ho Chi Minh City. Before Covid-19 (before January 2021), food was primarily purchased from traditional markets and other direct methods. After Covid-19 occurred (since January 2021), changes in food acquisition methods were found as 52% of respondents went to the grocery stores, traditional markets, and supermarkets less often. Moreover, consumers have changed their online shopping behaviors as 48% bought more food online compared to pre-Covid-19 periods. Since Covid-19, surveyed households consumed less food, specifically fresh produce (44.6%), fast food (60.8%), canned food (37.7%), prepped meals (60.8%), grains (43.1%), and snacks (43.8%). In opposition, more frozen foods (46%) and more meat (47%) were consumed since the pandemic. From the estimated ordinal probit regression, the study found that the determinants that most explain changes in food consumption are age, household size, education, income, affected income, workplace status, and the afraid of food shortage.

Examining the Geospatial Characteristics of COVID-19 Pandemic Summer Meal Distribution Sites in North Carolina

School meals are an important social safety net. During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and community organizations were able to serve meals through federal summer meals programs (SMP) to reach kids in need who were not in school. It is important to understand how access to these programs may have been impacted across sociodemographic characteristics to prevent exacerbation of health disparities in future public health emergencies.To examine the geospatial characteristics of COVID-19 pandemic SMP distribution sites in North Carolina.Cross-sectional study of COVID-19 SMP distribution sites (n = 2,567) in North Carolina during the 2019-2020 school year.GIS was used to conduct a geospatial analysis. Pandemic SMP sites were mapped and spatially joined to US Census sociodemographic data and USDA Food Desert Atlas data, including designated census tracts. SMP site service areas were created for rural (10-mile) and urban sites (3-mile), and sociodemographic data aggregated within these areas to understand reach. Summary sociodemographic and food environment characteristics of meal sites were generated, and bivariate analysis used to assess group differences.There was a school meal site in 71% (267/368) of Food Desert Census Tracts. Census Tracts with meal sites had significantly higher levels of percent poverty (18.8% vs 13.2%) (P < 0.001), percent minority population (34.7% vs 25.7%) (P < 0.001), and a higher number of housing units without vehicle count beyond 1 mile from supermarket (56.3% vs 36.0%) (P < 0.001) compared to Census Tracts without SMP sites.In North Carolina, meal sites were generally well placed to serve those in the most need. Future work should try to understand factors determining SMP location. The use of geospatial analysis of sociodemographic characteristics and use of spatial location-allocation modeling to inform meal distribution sites should be further explored to prevent future exacerbation of health disparities.

Narrative explorations of the role of the informal food sector in food flows and sustainable transitions during the COVID-19 lockdown

Globally, the informal food sector has been the recipient of exclusionary urban policies, despite its dominant role in urban life. This study examined the contributions of the informal food sector to food flows during the COVID-19 lockdown in Cape Town, South Africa. An ethnographic research method consisting of in-depth interviews and participant observations was used to gather data between April and November 2020. The data were thematically analysed. Corporate retailers and informal vendors managed food flows through the city prior to COVID-19. Due to the lockdown regulations, food flows through the informal sector ceased. The situation resulted in job loss and increased food insecurity. During this challenging period, the informal sector transformed food flows by facilitating sustainable urban agriculture, food aid programmes, and community change. Although the sector can hinder urban modernisation, the current study findings showed that the informal food sector is a buffer for meeting urban sustainability needs. Regulatory frameworks that embrace inclusive governance approaches are highly recommended.