Shoppers' reactions to modern food retailing systems in an emerging country : The case of Morocco

Purpose – This article aims to explore the effects of the massive arrival of foreign distribution concepts in emerging countries on the evolution of the local buyers' shopping practices. The confrontation of the latter, long accustomed to the traditional network, with the new retail outlets gives rise to the emergence of new modes of shopping and purchasing. Design/methodology/approach – The use of a qualitative approach, combining in‐store observations of behaviours and in‐depth interviews, highlighted rich and complex trends in consumption in an emerging country; Morocco for instance. Findings – The content analysis of collected data shows that the differences in social classes give place to varied shopping strategies and generate singular symbolic representations of shopping experiences. The research reveals also a hybridization of shopping practices where the consumers transpose some values and shopping behaviors inherited from the traditional trade into the modern distribution stores. Finally, the research also shows differences between global and local retail banners laying on their perceived images, store attendance and shopping practices which reflect their contrasted positioning strategies. Practical implications – The findings enable the retailers to adapt/shape their location strategy, assortment policy and positioning strategy to improve their store image and attractiveness and gain market power. The results have also implications on the public policy to manage the balance and the future of local traditional shops and modern retail stores. Originality/value – This paper points out the role of cultural anchorage in producing hybridized shopping practices that allows the domestic buyers to cope with the uncongruency between their inherited traditional values and those associated to the modern distribution. It also shows how these local customers use the modern retail stores as a scene of symbolic exhibition for their social status and invent hybrid shopping practices to cope with this incongruency.