Shifting category management relationships in the food distribution channels in the UK and Australia Available to Purchase

Category management has been introduced in the grocery industry as a mechanism for managing relationships between retailers and their suppliers. Examines the nature of relationship concepts of power, trust and commitment within the category management framework based on the findings of exploratory research carried out with Australian and UK firms in the grocery industry. Reveals varying interpretations of category management (CM) in the two countries. The different levels of retailer concentration may be a contributing factor to these differences. More importantly, the research reveals a shift in management attitudes and behaviours from conflictual relations to trust‐based relations.