Appalachian Store Owners' and Managers' Perspectives on the Role of Their Store in the Community and in Providing Healthier Food to the Community

Appalachian communities have lower access to healthier food sources like grocery stores. Through semi-structured interviews with owner/managers of convenience stores in Appalachian communities, this qualitative study explored perceived roles and business practices of small food retailers using a gro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology of food and nutrition 2020-01, Vol.59 (1), p.47-64
Main Authors: Anderson Steeves, Elizabeth T., McElrone, Marissa, Grier-Welch, Adeline, Zimmer, Meghan C., Daves, Phillip
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Appalachia
convenience store
Convenience stores
Food
Food sources
healthy food retail
Qualitative research
Retail stores
store owner
Supermarkets
supply chain
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Summary:Appalachian communities have lower access to healthier food sources like grocery stores. Through semi-structured interviews with owner/managers of convenience stores in Appalachian communities, this qualitative study explored perceived roles and business practices of small food retailers using a grounded theory approach. Five themes emerged including strong relationships between stores and customers, the role of the store in community, food and beverage stocking decisions, store owner/managers' perceived demand for healthier options, and federal food assistance program participation. The themes provide insight to store owner/manager perspectives on community-focused and business-focused priorities in Appalachian convenience stores and can inform healthy retail interventions.
ISSN:0367-0244
1543-5237
DOI:10.1080/03670244.2019.1661839