Verdict Research: The neighbourhood has become a key focus of retail in recent years due to the opportunities offered by its still fragmented nature and greater demand for convenience and top up shopping. 2007 saw the leading grocers continue to open stores winning new customers often due to deeper fresh food ranges and higher quality store environments.

Scope

Key metrics of neighbourhood retail: sales growth, space, store numbers, store sizes and sales densities. In depth profiles of all the leading neighbourhood retailers (grocers, convenience stores, off-licences, petrol forecourts and pharmacies) Particular focus on the key area of neighbourhood retailing - convenience stores Market shares for leading players 2002-2007

Highlights

In 2007 Tesco has been knocked from its market leading position in neighbourhood retailing. This was due to the merger between the Co-op Group and United Co-operatives in July 2007 which created the UK's largest neighbourhood retailer with a share of 7.9%. But Tesco still leads in the execution of neighbourhood retail stores. Tesco has honed its small store format including the layout and ranging. Its stores are of an extremely high standard, unlike the majority of its rivals which still have disparate estates measured by the quality of store environments. Store environments and fresh food are the key battlegrounds, and multiple retailers are winning the fight. With the expertise and investment available to them, multiple retailers are far better placed to face the challenges of modern neighbourhood retailing, namely supplying fresh food from appealing store environments.

Reasons to Purchase

Benchmark retailer performance against the market Identify the growth prospects of key players in neighbourhood retailing Analyse the key strategic issues and probable retailer responses.