Re-imaging Customer Service: the Management of Quality in Food Retailing

Abstract

The management of quality is a key issue in UK food retailing, especially amongst three of the leading companies (J Sainsbury, Tesco and Safeway) at the so-called ‘quality’ end of the market. They compete with one another across a broad range, each striving for superior product quality, excellent customer service, and reasonable prices for the whole shopping basket. These goals are pursued through a mixture of mechanisms, such as tight controls on suppliers (both for quality standards and low prices), major investments in new technology (relating to food hygiene, stock and inventory control), and close attention to the management of staff (through management development programmes and a range of human resource policies). The emphasis is on creating a culture and environment in which front-line staff are motivated to want to deliver excellent customer service.