Consumer Behaviour and Netchain Responses in the Greek Olive Oil Market: Unravelling a Paradox

摘要

The European olive oil industry has been through dramatic changes during the last five years. Particularly in Greece, a trend toward high quality olive oil has recently emerged. This paper empirically verifies this trend, identifies five clusters of olive oil consumers and focuses on their impact on the strategic behaviour of olive oil-related firms. While small food companies have responded to the emerging market segment, large firms owned by global netchains have not introduced product lines tailored to the needs of consumers. This strategic paradox is explained by analysing the case of ELA1S, the Greek subsidiary of UNILEVER. Considerations such as firm size, market structure, and institutional constraints unravel the paradox.