The “promise of difference” of cooperative supermarkets: making quality products accessible through democratic sustainable food chains?

Abstract

In recent years, collaborative and participatory supermarkets are spreading all over Europe, especially in France, as a new purchase model. This article aims to analyse the “promise of difference” (LE VELLY, 2017) that distinguishes this model from the current food offer. This promise is assessed both through the analysis of those projects in terms of products selection, work organisation and decision making, and through the implementation of concrete regulation activities. The methodological tools we used were content analysis of speeches, documents and on-line newpapers communication, as well as participant observation. The main results show that these models emerge as an alternative to the current food offer, both conventional supermarkets and alternative food networks. The study contributes to demonstrate that these cooperative supermarkets are shaped taking into account economic (reasonable price of products, reduction of fixed costs), social (accessibility, creation of a space to exchange and share, participation to the decision making) and environmental (local and organic products) issues. They inspire on conventional devices in terms of accessibility (low prices, long opening hours) and variety of products range. However, they distinguish themselves, in the first place, for being non-profit organisations, reinvesting the profits into the cooperative itself or into solidarity projects, but also by actively involving consumers in decision-making.