Smaller niche-market food producers have good reason to be optimistic in today's marketplace. Increased demand for specialty food products, and consumers' willingness to visit different retailers to get them, is creating new marketing opportunities for food producers and processors that can offer innovative merchandise designed to meet the specific needs and preferences of particular consumer segments. Several of today's most highly profitable retail supermarket chains, typically, privately held firms that operate relatively small numbers of stores, have succeeded because of their ability to closely match their food product offerings to the specific needs of their customer base. Such firms offer promising marketing opportunities to small and medium sized food suppliers who can meet their basic product requirements. This book provides an overview of the changing retail landscape and identifies some of the characteristics associated with successful food retailing.
