British Food Journal

Claudio Vignali; Demetris Vrontis

2000 British Food Journal

doi: 10.1108/00070700010329191

This research into the UK beer/brewing industry uses a quantitative-based survey and seeks to investigate and analyse the national beer market for a major brewer.

Leo Paul Dana

2000 British Food Journal

doi: 10.1108/00070700010329218

An established firm - the bottler of Evian Water - had established a global image for its brand, but consultants were suggesting that the lack of change might be perceived as old-fashioned. In contrast, others felt, "If it is already good, why change it?"

Jennifer Rowley

2000 British Food Journal

doi: 10.1108/00070700010329236

Loyalty cards have become a popular strategy among retailers for collecting information about customer purchases and for offering "'reward points" and other promotions. Many commentators have, however, been skeptical about the value of loyalty cars and, in particular, their ability to cultivate and promote the attitudes and behaviour associated with loyalty. This case study-based article describes a new application of loyalty cards, which is being piloted in selected Sainsbury's stores. Loyalty cards are swiped through a slot in a public access kiosk, located in store, to provide customer access to a range of selected benefits. These benefits include recipes, special reductions, information on videos, and other customer service options. The customer selects options by choosing from a simple touch screen. Special offer coupons or recipes are printed on small pieces of paper. Is this new application the basis for an enhanced role for loyalty cards? The article argues that this potential will only be realised if loyalty cards can become an integral part of the relationship with the customer, and cease to be no more than an "'add-on".

Ivor Church; Andrew J. Newman

2000 British Food Journal

doi: 10.1108/00070700010329308

This research focuses on the UK fast food retailers and the importance of the service delivery systems in fast food burger outlets. Waiting time and the impact it has on customer perceptions of service quality is considered alongside a typology of customers, based on their waiting characteristics. A number of critical components that affect customer queuing and crowding emerge as an inherent part of the production-line service system. The paper asserts that the cost-effective maximisation of service speed is likely to be the primary consideration for management, and lead to business success. When using conventional research approaches, such as tracking studies and queuing theory, these arguably offer burger restaurant managers a rather simplistic analysis. The research concludes, therefore, that modern computer-based simulation packages offer a way of measuring most of the influencing factors, and is an opportunity for leading fast food retailers to optimise their (total) product positioning.

Barry J. Davies; Philippa Ward

2000 British Food Journal

doi: 10.1108/00070700010329317

Space allocation is usually explained through the use of optimization models. This study examines the perceptions of experienced managers in major UK grocery retailers relating to effective space utilization. From the literature, initial telephone survey and interviews, 48 variables relating to the same issue were identified. These then formed the basis of a questionnaire, which was postally administered to managers within the space planning function in six of the UK's largest grocery retailers. Thirty completed questionnaires were returned. Principal components analysis was used to explore interrelationships among the variables. Of the 48 variables 18 were identified as most important. The 18 variables accounted for over 80 per cent of the total variance. These variables were associated with six underlying components. These six components (and the associated variable scores) were then examined using structural equation modelling. An SEM model was developed with a combined goodness of fit index of 0.85. The developed model is very different from the relations posited in existing space planning systems.

Leo Paul Dana

2000 British Food Journal

doi: 10.1108/00070700010329326

Atlas Ltd was a small local enterprise, bottling soft drinks for the Albanian market. Although Atlas Ltd was not actively seeking to expand into foreign markets, the domestic market in Albania was becoming flooded with competition from abroad. The time had come to evaluate strategy, and plan for the future.

Len Tiu Wright; Clive Nancarrow; Ian Brace

2000 British Food Journal

doi: 10.1108/00070700010329335

Classifying people according to their tastes in food and drink is a fruitful and topical area of market research. The late 1990s have shown an increasing preoccupation with the presentation of food and drink, a trend which has not abated with the start of the new millennium. With increasing publications and television portrayals, chefs and cookery writers have been turned with alacrity into fashion icons. This paper is about tastes in food. It analyses Bourdieu's proposition that our tastes in food betray our social origins and draws on interesting distinctions in the literature between the UK and France. Historical reasons relating to industrial development and their influences on what the different social classes eat, are discussed. For instance, the French, in comparison to the British, have sought more gastronomic quality in what they eat. Through a combination of mini-cases, market research and literature studies the development of important influences is explored, such as class membership and postmodernist trends in consumption. For example the postmodernist preferences for style over substance and lifestyle fashion for myriad food preparations have also resulted in crossovers in cultures and in fragmentation of taste and presentation. The paper concludes that more attention should be paid by suppliers to the "cultural drivers" of food and drink in guiding new product development and branding.

Peter Jones; Colin Clarke‐Hill; David Hillier; Peter Shears

2000 British Food Journal

doi: 10.1108/00070700010329344

During the late 1990s the controversy surrounding the use of genetically modified ingredients in food became an increasingly controversial issue within the UK. This paper provides a short case study which focuses on the principal issues within the GM debate and reviews the major food retailers policy responses to this debate.

Leo Paul Dana; Teresa Elizabeth Dana

2000 British Food Journal

doi: 10.1108/00070700010329353

"Work is not a right; it is a privilege", said Wong Hoi Kit, commenting on the labour policy implemented by the Singapore Prison Service. "We have a captive labour market; the prisoners are eager to work, as it gives them a chance to interact with others, while it helps the time go by." The motto of the Singapore Prison Service was "Security - Humanity - Rehabilitation", and considerable energy was focused on rehabilitating inmates by teaching them skills, through on-the-job training, during their prison terms. To this end, inmates were put to work, and that which they produced was sold for profit. Mr Wong - who had his MBA from Queen's University, Canada - was chief executive officer of Singapore's Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE); in this capacity, he was seeking to identify commercially-viable food industry opportunities, which would meet the objectives and constraints of the prison environment. These could include primary production, manufacturing, packaging and catering.

Paul R. Baines; Phil Harris

2000 British Food Journal

doi: 10.1108/00070700010329362

Outlines the role of the Meat Livestock Commission in dealing with the BSE/CJD crisis in the UK meat industry. It covers the re-launch of British beef, the history of the BSE crisis, the decline of the export market for beef and the increasingly political nature of the world beef and meat markets. In addition, the article assesses the impact of supermarkets, government and environmental concerns and the development of this key industry. The issue of reputation alongside natural products is considered and the complexities of a fragmented market. Suggests that there is no quick and easy fix to the re-establishment of UK roast beef as a premier brand.