Competition in the food industry of the twenty first century is being played on a global field, with fewer, larger, global players battling for the market share. The stalemate which results from global retailers confronting global manufacturers has been broken by the introduction of Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) and the realization that cooperation between trading partners is more effective than confrontation. Traditional inter-firm competition is being superseded by competition between supply chains, as retailers and manufacturers alike seek competitive advantage through strategic supply chain partnerships.
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