INTRODUCTION

In economic developed countries such as UK, supermarkets have become the first options for
consumers to buy a variety of goods from diverse brands, always with competitive prices and
deals that make them a convenient place to make their grocery. (John Allen, 154, year?) The
growing dominance of supermarkets rest open their market power and their buying power. Both
powers are defined by John Allen, as forms of power used to dominate the food and grocery
market. (John Allen, page 160, year, ?). According to the sociologist Dennis Wrong (1997),
power here is understood as a zero sum game, “which mean a situation in which one party´s
gain is balance by other party ´s loose.( John Allen, Page 158) “If supermarkets increase their
grip on where and how we shop, dominating the food chain to suit their own, local supermarkets
are ruined one by one and invariably replace by chain stores”. ( John Allen, Page 159)

This essay will examine this claim made by anti-supermarket campaigners who argue over
supermarket power constrains consumer and impact that supermarket chains have in our society
and how their presence created certain constraints

BODY

Nowadays in UK there are four big supermarkets chains controlling not only the grocery market
in the high streets but also the online grocery. (John Allen , page 151, year? ) According to the
Competition Commission, 2008, the grocery market is concentrate in 4 : Tesco ( 30%), ASDA
( 17%), Sainsbury ( 17%) and Morrison ( 12%). ). (Competition Commission, 2008, Kantar
Worldwide, 2013). Grocery market concentration in the UK has restrict and distort
competition, reducing the number of local stores in high street). According to Joanna Bylhman,
2007) by adopting a strategy of opening convenience store format such as Tesco Metro and
Express stores they have increased their control of the market on the high street. (quotes by John
Allen, page 163) This has caused a sharply accelerated the rate of closures among independent
shops, making consumers changes their shopping behaviour from the traditional local stores to
their new stores. Jonna explain support this claim by using the case study of Dundee. In this a
city in there has been a demise of independent stores and the march of the big supermarkets. In
1960s there were eight or nine butchers now only one survive same as fishmongers. In contrast,
there are 6 Metro and Express Tesco convenient stores and one ASDA store.
One of the main reasons why consumers decide to make their grocery in supermarkets is
because their competitive prices. For that reason, supermarkets focus their strategy in offering
low prices, high discounts, and aggressive promotions. However, those low prices are at
expense of supermarket suppliers and their workforce (zero sum game supermarkets prosper
and customer have cheaper products at the expense of vulnerable workers). ( add references)

In everyday life, people are often surrounded by advertising and as much as they may try to
ignore it, or claim that they might not be influenced by it, advertising may still change the way
people remember thins or choose what to buy. (Catriona Harvard and George Revil, Page 189, )
According to Zukin , “ Shopping experiences are organised, presented and controlled by
retailers by using advertising and marketing strategies to persuade consumer in their choices”.
A theory which explain how Adverting persuades consumers to buy certain products is the
Elaboration Likehood Model( ELM) of persuasion. (Petty et al 1981). ELM claims that there are
two different ways which consumers can respond to information presented in an advert.
(Catriona Harvard and George Revil 198) In order to persuade consumers to but think
supermarkets need to ensure that the message or product is presented in such a way that is
appears to be personally relevant to them.

ELM claims that in order to persuade consumers to but things supermarkets need to ensure that
the message or product is presented in such a way that is appears to be personally relevant to
them. (Catriona Harvard and George Revil 199) For that reason supermarkets and other retail
stores use advertising and marketing strategies by using a market research based on social
concepts, techniques and methods that allow supermarkets with powerful information about
consumer’s preferences and habits. (Catriona Harvard and George Revil Page ) This
information is especially powerful when you by online. Advance in eye tracking technology or
recommendations based on your previous shopping are helping supermarkets to control and
persuade consumer. Companies such as Amazon often offer recommendations based on your
previous research or the previous item you can choose (Catriona Harvard and George Revil
Page ) Same happens when you do your online grocery in Tesco or any other online grocery
store. In addition social media is also a powerful tool to collect information about consumer
choices and persuade them to buy products that could fit with their preferences. (Catriona
Harvard and George Revil 195). By making the registration with your Facebook account, your
are giving information about yourself that could use by online retailers to know more about you
and adapt their selling strategy according to your preferences.

In addition, according to, the influence of atmosphere and ambience of shopping environments
might subtly guide and shape the ways people shop. ( ) According to Catrina Harvard, the way
products are present and the retailing enviroments can influence in the behaviour on buyers and
consumers. The way supermarkets distribute their products, the colors used as well as the music
could be a powerful tool to persuade consumers. Music for example, encourage shoppers to
control shopping behaviour with carefully programmed background music. This encourage
consumer to imagine themselves wearing or consuming certain products in specific social
situations. This concept is called by De Nor and Belcher´s as “latching” to music, which means
“to latch onto or connect with some aspect of physical or social environment or personal
feeling, desire or aspiration”. (Page 209)

CONCLUSION

Finally after having set out a range of evidence to who proved the market power of supermarket
and the marketing , advertising and retailing strategies used are capable of persuade consumer
choices. And De Nora Belcher ( 2007), supports Zukin theory that shopping is both our most
creative and controlled behaviour. It is controlled by the way supermarkets used their market
power and their advertising and market strategies. However it is also creative as shoppers make
their own choices capable of make their own choices based on who they are and what they need,
want and feel that they can afford

To conclude evidences provided, confirm that power of supermarkets, but give the last power of
choice to consumers as they are increasingly able to manage the practices and experiences of
shopping to meet their own individual and household wants and expectations.