Seminars topic: Across emerging markets, 50 million nanostores serve about 4 billion consumers with their daily groceries. Collectively, they are the largest client of many multinational manufacturers of consumer-packaged goods. These mom-and-pop-operated stores are undergoing a multi-faceted digital transformation that has the power to improve the livelihoods of millions of shopkeepers and to increase the access to affordable food for billions of consumers. I will present recent research findings of empirical and model-based work that help understand the operational dynamics and strategic performance of the channel, including research questions around channel choice, trade credit, and digital ordering.

Scholars Background: Jan C. Fransoo is a Professor of Operations and Logistics Management at the School of Economics and Management of Tilburg University in Tilburg, the Netherlands. He has conducted research across a wide variety of domains and methodologies, all related to supply chain and operations management, and has published extensively in numerous journals in operations management, operations research, industrial engineering, and transportation. He currently serves as Associate Editor of Operations Research, and Production and Operations Management. In recent years, his research has mainly focused on retail operations in developing countries and other emerging markets. Much of this research is conducted in collaboration with Consumer-Packaged Goods companies, technology startups, and intergovernmental agencies such as the World Bank and the Interamerican Development Bank. Apart from this line of research, he also has active research lines on omnichannel retail, intermodal transportation, and urban logistics.

Time and Location: April 7, 2025 | 13:30-15:00 (GMT+8), Room A523 (School of Management)

Language: English