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Abstract
The Chinese consumer goods market is widely considered to
be one of the economic hot spots of the world. China seems to be the
market with the largest growth potential within the next decade. Multina -
tional retail companies, for example, Wal-Mart, Metro and Carrefour have
made large investments to open up this new market. However, parallel to
the positive aspects of the market development, foreign retail companies
entering the market encounter numerous risks and difficulties. Whereas
questions concerned with logistical problems are being discussed more
often, analyses focusing on the shopping behavior of Chinese consumers
are rare. In this context, the following report provides information on
store preferences based on a comprehensive survey of 800 citizens of
Wuhan. In detail, the research focuses on decision- making problems of
Chinese consumer s and determines their preferences for foreign chain
stores on the one hand and for domestic supermarkets and traditional
retail formats on the other hand. All in all, traditional wet markets still
dominate shopping behaviour. Nevertheless, modern retail outlets are ac -
cepted as an alternative, although they are mainly used in addition to the
daily shopping at traditional wet markets. However, this research shows
that even in a more domestic market - oriented city like Wuhan, traditional
shopping patterns are being abandoned and more differentiated shopping
patterns are emerging.