Supply Chain Organisation for Proximity Distribution: Comparison between French and Japanese Models

Claire Capo (1) , Odile Chanut (1)

1 CRET-LOG - Centre de Recherche sur le Transport et la Logistique

Convenience stores (CS) – or local stores-take different forms worldwide reflecting national market characteristics. In France, the mass retail sector is led by a few powerful retailing groups along directive lines. Power is more diffuse in Japan, with intermediaries playing a significant role and regulating the supply chains along more collaborative lines. Using a grid to analyse seven dimensions of proximity, we compare business models which include supply chain organisation for local store chain in Japan (so-called convenience stores) and in France (so-called proximity stores). What we identify is significant convergence amongst local store chain models relating to most of the aforementioned dimensions of proximity except for the inter-organisational proximity in which lies some major divergences.

Mots clés: France; Japan; convenience stores; proximity stores; supply chain organisation; proximity

Domaines: Gestion et management

Claire Capo, Odile Chanut. Supply Chain Organisation for Proximity Distribution: Comparison between French and Japanese Models. Supply Chain Forum: An International Journal, 2015, 14 (3), pp.30 - 41. ⟨10.1080/16258312.2013.11517319⟩. ⟨hal-01767007⟩