ABSTRACT

The study set out to know the factors influencing consumers' choice of retail stores (supermarkets) in Abia state, Nigeria. It has its specific objectives as to: describe the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents in the study area; examine the type(s) of product(s) do they purchase from these super markets in the study area; estimate the factors that influence the consumers' choice of super markets; and make recommendations based on the findings. Purposive and random sampling technique was used in the selection of respondents. Fifty respondents were selected from four local government areas making a total of 200 respondents. This study employed primary source of data obtained from using the questionnaire administered to the respondents selected. Objective (i), employed descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentages. Objective (ii) was realised by ranking, while, the logistic regression was used in objective (iii). From the analysis, 71.5 percent of the respondents were between the ages of 30 —49 years. Those between the ages of 50 — 59 years were 15 percent; between 20— 20 years 11 percent and 60 years and above 2.5 percent. Majority of the respondents accounting for about 65 percent were males while the remaining 35 percent were females. In terms of educational attainment, 32 percent at piece had spent 16 and 18 years in school, implying that they had acquired either the HND/B.Sc or M.Sc respectively. Those with OND/NCE certificates were 27 percent, having spent 14 years in school while 9 percent of the respondents had the school certificate, spending about 12 years in school. Thirty seven percent of the respondent were making between N121, 000 — N140, 000 monthly as income. Those with N901, 000 and N120, 000 constituted 19.5 percent. Those that made N141, 000 and above, N70, 000 — N90, 000, and N50, 000 and N70, 000 were 18 percent, 16.5 percent and 9 percent respectively. Majority of the respondents which made up of 46.5 percent of the respondents are civil servants. Those who have business or trading as their primary occupation were 33.5 percent; while those who practice one form of artisanship or another and farming as their primary occupation constituted 19 percent and 1 percent respectively. It was seen that the respondents indicated that they purchased beverages mostly in these retail stores. The purchase of confectionaries ranked second. Toiletries and detergents ranked third, while wines and spirits ranked fifth in the items regularly purchased in the retail stores. The purchase of kitchen utensils, plates and spoons, raw food items, fruits and vegetables and fresh meat and frozen fish ranked sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth respectively in the products I items most frequently purchased from these retail outlets by the respondents in the study. The maximum likelihood estimates of the factors influencing the consumers' choice of supermarkets in Abia state, Nigeria, indicated that the coefficients of income of the consumers, distance from home to the supermarket, level of convenience, perceived quality and good environment were all significant at various probability levels with different signs. It is therefore recommended that those interested in owning shops should situate them close to residential areas where it is convenient for customers to purchase. It is also that proprietors of these outlets should have good environments as well as always stock good quality products. This will in no small way always keep them in business as customers needs will always be satisfied.