TY - JOUR
T1 - Balancing Mission and Margins
T2 - What Makes Healthy Community Food Stores Successful
AU - John, Sara
AU - Winkler, Megan R.
AU - Kaur, Ravneet
AU - DeAngelo, Julia
AU - Hill, Alex B.
AU - Sundermeir, Samantha M.
AU - Colon-Ramos, Uriyoan
AU - Leone, Lucia A.
AU - Dombrowski, Rachael D.
AU - Lewis, Emma C.
AU - Gittelsohn, Joel
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.
PY - 2022/7
Y1 - 2022/7
N2 - Mission-driven, independently-owned community food stores have been identified as a potential solution to improve access to healthy foods, yet to date there is limited information on what factors contribute to these stores’ success and failure. Using a multiple case study approach, this study examined what makes a healthy community food store successful and identified strategies for success in seven community stores in urban areas across the United States. We used Stake’s multiple case study analysis approach to identify the following key aims that contributed to community store success across all cases: (1) making healthy food available, (2) offering healthy foods at affordable prices, and (3) reaching community members with limited economic resources. However, stores differed in terms of their intention, action, and achievement of these aims. Key strategies identified that enabled success included: (1) having a store champion, (2) using nontraditional business strategies, (3) obtaining innovative external funding, (4) using a dynamic sourcing model, (5) implementing healthy food marketing, and (6) engaging the community. Stores did not need to implement all strategies to be successful, however certain strategies, such as having a store champion, emerged as critical for all stores. Retailers, researchers, philanthropy, and policymakers can utilize this definition of success and the identified strategies to improve healthy food access in their communities.
AB - Mission-driven, independently-owned community food stores have been identified as a potential solution to improve access to healthy foods, yet to date there is limited information on what factors contribute to these stores’ success and failure. Using a multiple case study approach, this study examined what makes a healthy community food store successful and identified strategies for success in seven community stores in urban areas across the United States. We used Stake’s multiple case study analysis approach to identify the following key aims that contributed to community store success across all cases: (1) making healthy food available, (2) offering healthy foods at affordable prices, and (3) reaching community members with limited economic resources. However, stores differed in terms of their intention, action, and achievement of these aims. Key strategies identified that enabled success included: (1) having a store champion, (2) using nontraditional business strategies, (3) obtaining innovative external funding, (4) using a dynamic sourcing model, (5) implementing healthy food marketing, and (6) engaging the community. Stores did not need to implement all strategies to be successful, however certain strategies, such as having a store champion, emerged as critical for all stores. Retailers, researchers, philanthropy, and policymakers can utilize this definition of success and the identified strategies to improve healthy food access in their communities.
KW - case study approach
KW - community store
KW - cross-case analysis
KW - food access
KW - healthy food retail
KW - nutrition
KW - retail food environment
KW - store success
KW - urban
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85135136766&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85135136766&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph19148470
DO - 10.3390/ijerph19148470
M3 - Article
C2 - 35886315
AN - SCOPUS:85135136766
SN - 1661-7827
VL - 19
JO - International journal of environmental research and public health
JF - International journal of environmental research and public health
IS - 14
M1 - 8470
ER -