Planning of the cow milk assortment for large retail chains in North Italy: A comparison of two metropolitan cities

Abstract This research has assessed what large retail chains actually do, in terms of assortment depth and size of conventional cow milk, by comparing different retail formats and two metropolitan cities (Milan and Turin). The differences in the composition of the assortment were determined considering the milk categories according to their brand, origin, packaging, fat content and price. The differences in association between the milk categories and the retail formats were also analyzed. The results show differences in wide and deep of milk offer between the two areas and that retailers develop a composition offer that is not fully in agreement with the local preferences.