Acceso usuarios
Elena Meliá Martí 
, Natalia Lajara Camilleri, Alicia Mateos Ronco
The aim of this paper is to study the impact of cooperation between operators in the food supply chain. And particularly between two of the operators (retailers and suppliers) whose relationship, given the asymmetry between them, has often been questioned and labelled as unequal, favouring the stronger party. Specifically, we will analyze the most demanding type of agreement for suppliers, as it involves exclusive supply. This paper aims to study whether the collaborative relationships between these two food chain operators benefit both parties equally and, therefore, contribute to the economic sustainability of the chain. To this end, we analyze whether it is worthwhile for a supplier in the retail grocery sector to develop a long-term exclusivity collaboration agreement with a retailer to whom they sell their entire production or most of it (exclusive key retailer account). For this purpose, we have analyzed Mercadona’s suppliers, the largest food distribution company in Spain, at a time when their relationship was based on exclusivity. Through inferential statistics and a logistic panel regression, a comparison of Mercadona’s exclusive suppliers with two control groups (subsector and non-Mercadona intersuppliers obtained by matching) has been carried out.
The results suggest that this type of exclusive collaboration agreement, in the case of Mercadona with its exclusive suppliers, is beneficial and profitable for the weaker party, the supplier. Our findings provide evidence that collaboration and cooperation between suppliers and retailers can provide a win-win relationship, the key to which is maintaining effective cooperation between both parties in order to accomplish common goals.
The aim of this paper is to study the impact of cooperation between operators inthe food supply chain. And particularly between two of the operators (retailers and suppliers)whose relationship, given the asymmetry between them, has often been questioned and labelledas unequal, favouring the stronger party. Specifically, we will analyze the most demandingtype of agreement for suppliers, as it involves exclusive supply. This paper aims to studywhether the collaborative relationships between these two food chain operators benefit bothparties equally and, therefore, contribute to the economic sustainability of the chain. To thisend, we analyze whether it is worthwhile for a supplier in the retail grocery sector to developa long-term exclusivity collaboration agreement with a retailer to whom they sell their entireproduction or most of it (exclusive key retailer account). For this purpose, we have analyzedMercadona’s suppliers, the largest food distribution company in Spain, at a time when theirrelationship was based on exclusivity. Through inferential statistics and a logistic panel regression,a comparison of Mercadona’s exclusive suppliers with two control groups (subsector andnon-Mercadona intersuppliers obtained by matching) has been carried out.The results suggest that this type of exclusive collaboration agreement, in the case of Mercadonawith its exclusive suppliers, is beneficial and profitable for the weaker party, the supplier.Our findings provide evidence that collaboration and cooperation between suppliers and retailerscan provide a win-win relationship, the key to which is maintaining effective cooperationbetween both parties in order to accomplish common goals.
