Retailing establishments: A competitive analysis of commercial formats from the consumers’ profiles and perceptions

During recent years the retail trade sector has clearly been immersed in a period of continuous transformation, one of the consequences of which has been the appearance of commercial formats coming into direct competition with the so-called traditional commercial formats, with their medium-sized outlets, poor range of choice and low prices, but with products of a medium-high quality. The aim of this current work is to analyse the competitive situation of the so-called traditional retailers compared to the modern commercial formats, focusing on the food and mass consumer products sector from the perspective of the users’ perceptions. By means of the appropriate statistical analysis, the characteristics of each type of format are defined, as well as the profile of the users. The study was carried out in the province of Cadiz—one of the areas of Spain in which retail trade has evolved most rapidly.