Do retailers want innovations and if they do - how are they going to get it? – With particular reference to retailing in Sweden

Författare

Märit Beckeman

Summary, in English

Consumers want innovations that fulfil present and future needs and to be delighted! Hence the main objective of an innovation is to create value for the consumer/customer by a product, process, service or combinations, but is also important for manufacturers, suppliers and society, to promote growth, create new markets, answer new needs etc. The retailers now have the power in the supply - and value chain as they front the consumers and possess information about their buying behaviours and preferences. Retailers have launched private brands to compete with manufacturer brands, initially on price but later also on quality. Manufacturers try to compete but little really new or radical innovations are visible. UK retailers are much more advanced in their new offerings than the Swedish ones, many have own development departments but no own production and work in networks of innovation and control with different suppliers. In earlier research about the growth of the Swedish food sector after the 2nd World War, it was found that frozen food and self service were the major radical innovations and that these innovations triggered manufacturers as well as suppliers to innovate and that collaboration took place in a cluster and in a network. In addition, a number of individuals contributed, not only from within organisations but also from the outside. This experience is compared with recent literature about innovations and collaboration in the food sector. The objective is to contribute to an increased understanding of the present situation and to give ideas of ways to increase innovations.

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