Hypermarkets versus traditional retail stores - consumers’ and retailers’ perspectives in Braga: a case study

Abstract

Since its appearance in the mid-1980s, the hypermarket is a symbol of modernisation. It has dramatically changed not only the Portuguese traditional retailing structure but also the consumption behaviour. To understand the impact of hypermarkets, two questionnaires were used, one for consumers and the other for traditional retailers. The results show that, for consumers, the hypermarket is the preferred type of retail store, due to convenience (it is more practical) and low prices. The perception of traditional retailers is that the hypermarkets a!ected them negatively. The comparative analysis suggests that, although consumers do not have a negative opinion about traditional retail, they do not share the optimistic vision that traditional retailers have about them-selves.