Abstract
This dissertation is directed towards the retail world of France. The study is undertaken for the final term of this academic year's research project. To make the topic of study as dynamic and interesting as possible, I have presented a suitable title for the dissertation. Hence, at the outset, the title defines the subject, which includes naming the retailers and referring to the differences between these competitors.
Primarily, this study covers the traditional hypermarket format, the most common format against the innovative hard discounter concept. There are several names for "hard discounter", such as "maxi discount" and "soft discount". Hard discounters are a place of purchase where prices are mostly lower, yet marketing and customer service are not a priority. This concept is the opposite of the definition of a hypermarket. A hypermarket is a self-service retailer that achieves more than one third of its sales in food and whose sales area is greater than or equal to 2,500 square meters. This phenomenon is spread over geographical and cultural locations and determined in this case by France.
When we analyse a possible title: "Hypermarket versus Hard Discount"; there are two distinct formats for retailers where the struggle over the French market is very intense. A title such as "Hypermarket versus Hard Discount" could refer to a series of enumeration and differentiation between these two competitors. But the problem between these two formats would be more attractive. To conclude, "Hypermarket's Struggle against the Development of Hard Discount in France" defined and delimits the subject while referring to the problem and its location.
