Brand networks in the food retail sector 85% of the sector's turnover, concentrated on a few major players

Brand networks are essential economic players in the food retail sector. They generate 85% of the sector's turnover and employ 68% of the people working in it. Among the different forms of organization of a network, the fully or predominantly branch-based model predominates, mainly in the general food trade. However, a majority of branded stores are in fact run by independent merchants, linked to the head office by commercial contracts such as franchise agreements. This is particularly true for convenience stores, while employees managers or groups of independent retailers around a central purchasing unit are more common for supermarkets. These two forms of organization of the network, branch-based or contractual, coexist without significant differences in productivity or commercial margin.