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Spain is the leading exporter of fresh citrus for consumption. In order to adapt to market needs, it is key to analyze the attributes that most influence each variety, the time of ripening and the color of the fruit. In this way, the producer can select the right fruit for each moment of the season. The main objective was to evaluate the fruit quality of three interesting orange tree varieties for fresh consumption: "Washington Navel," "Navelate," and "Lanelate" sweet orange. To achieve this goal, sensory analysis was combined with instrumental analysis. In Washington Navel, the maturity index provided a positive contribution to overall liking. Both herbaceous and fruity aroma have a negative influence on the overall liking score. In Navelina, the color and aromas (herbaceous and fruity) played an important positive role in overall liking. The importance of this smell could be related to the freshness of the oranges. In contrast, the maturity index provided a negative contribution. Lanelate is the only variety in which vitamin C provided a positive contribution to overall liking. However, L* value showed a negative contribution. Therefore, there were clearly different characteristics among varieties that were detected. So far, different orange varieties have not been compared according to their maturity index and using sensory analysis. Descriptive analysis and the variables that influence overall liking are fundamental to adapt to consumer expectations. The results obtained would help to select the fruit with better acceptability in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social situation that indigenous people encounter in rural areas of Colombia is linked to social disparities and a dearth of opportunities for their products. Illicitly harvesting coca plants affords them resources they would not receive in the conventional market. This study investigates the feasibility of exporting organic gooseberries cultivated in conflict-affected regions of Colombia to European countries. Such exports could offer a means of crop substitution for indigenous communities that currently rely on coca farming for their sustenance. Additionally, this article features an exploratory analysis of consumer attitudes towards organic cape gooseberry in Namur, Belgium. This study employed surveys of 158 individuals in 2022 to gauge consumer perception and used the ordinary least squares method in the econometric modeling of foreign trade behavior. The modeling utilized 6233 observations between 2015 and 2022 about exports to European nations. Surprisingly, dehydrated gooseberry snacks were found to be the preferred method of consumption in Namur, Belgium, as opposed to fresh fruit. The export of Colombian cape gooseberries has secured a strong presence in Europe, with its price–quantity correlation demonstrating a high inelastic demand. This implies that price changes have minimal impact on the quantities purchased overseas. Organic cape gooseberries have significant potential for indigenous land. However, this study is exploratory and limited to the variables identified in the ICECOMEX databases in Colombia. Further research should consider the consumption of organic cape gooseberries in other European cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a relative measure of efficiency applied to a set of decision units and is being used more and more frequently in the supermarket sector. Nonetheless, given how strongly the sector's financials depend on demand, companies need to combine this measurement with trade area information to best manage corporate efficiency. In this paper, the proposal consists of integrating DEA with a clearly articulated, structural typology so that supermarkets, based on their particular characteristics, can determine which variables are most critical for improving their efficiency. This methodology has been validated in the case of one of Spain's five largest supermarket chains. A principal component analysis and a classification analysis were carried out on a series of internal management variables from 61 locations for which DEA had been used to calculate efficiency and to which multiple trade area variables were added using GIS. Some of them are related to the loyalty scheme membership programme. These latter variables described the implantation of the loyalty scheme member programme and were revealed as key elements for the efficiency of the supermarket. This methodology provides marketing profiles that are more adapted to local circumstances, thus allowing companies to set better internal benchmarking objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Boletín de la Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles is the property of Asociacion de Geografos Espanoles and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe fresh fruit consumers in Spain according to their food-related lifestyle (FRL). Design/methodology/approach: A random stratified sample of 500 people, representative of the persons responsible for household food purchasing and resident in Spain, was interviewed in 2017 using a revised and adapted version of the FRL instrument (Grunert et al., 1993). Questions about fruit purchasing criteria, consumption habits and demographics were also included. Factor and cluster analysis (Ward method) yielded four segments. Findings: The segments identified are: "Total indifference (TI)", small segment with disinterest in extra-domestic and social consumption, nutrition and innovation; "Little time to cook, concerned about nutrition and extra-domestic consumption (LICNE)", the largest consumers of fresh fruit who show interest in nutrition and health, but no interest in the price of products, convenience foods or liking cooking; "Cooks and preference for natural products (COOKNAT)", the largest segment, with a medium-high consumption of fresh fruits, who are related to cooking at home, natural products and a concern for the price-quality ratio; and "Unconcerned (UNC)" presents the lowest fresh fruit consumption and shows the lowest interest in natural products and some indifference to the other criteria. Originality/value: The information obtained in this study gives interesting new insights for the marketing strategies of the fresh fruit suppliers to Spain and the Food and Public Health Administrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of EMPIRIA: Revista de Metodología de Ciencias Sociales is the property of Editorial UNED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Pasos: Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural is the property of Universidad de La Laguna, Instituto Universitario de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Choosing where to open a new outlet is a critical decision for retail firms. Building on the multiplicative competitive interaction model from retail location theory, this paper develops a geomarketing model that can be used to devise supermarket location strategies. First, attributes that explain a supermarket’s pull on consumers were determined. These attributes included objective (taken from databases and empirical observation) and subjective (based on managerial judgements) variables relating to the supermarket and its trade area. Then, geographic information system tools were used to analyse real data at a highly detailed level (road section). From a geomarketing viewpoint, the model shows that sociodemographic characteristics of the supermarket’s trade area affect firms’ location strategies. The paper also discusses improvements for calibrating and validating this model. Adding the spatial organization of supermarkets to the model yields a different consumer behaviour pattern. This geomarketing model can help managers to design supermarket location strategies according to shop features, competitors and environment, whilst estimating supermarket sales. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Este estudio expuso y agrupó las reacciones de los consumidores ante la confusión generada por información ambigua para una marca de cosméticos de una cadena de supermercados. El método de recogida de la información fue la netnografía, usando para su análisis Componentes Principales Categóricos. Este trabajo supuso una aportación a la literatura sobre la confusión del consumidor porque la información se recogió a partir de comentarios on-line. La respuesta más citada fue la mala calidad percibida del producto. En relación al marco teórico, hay dos reacciones que no habían sido señaladas: las críticas a los medios de comunicación y la posible hostilidad de la competencia. La agrupación de las respuestas dadas se ha centrado fundamentalmente en dos aspectos: la imagen percibida de las empresas y la calidad de los productos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in geographical information systems have contributed to location and marketing design strategies on the part of retailers. The techniques used in this field are based on delimiting trade areas and spatial analysis. The same approach is applied in this study to technology centres, which are considered as suppliers of knowledge-intensive services to their associated firms. The research objective focuses on analysing the spatial distribution of firms associated with two technology centres from different sectors. The results indicate that firms associated with a technology centre present spatial patterns that are similar to those observed in retailing, while significant differences were also found between the two technology centres used for the study. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – This study aims to analyse the provision of knowledge-intensive services (KIS) by technology centres based on approaches used in the literature on trade areas. Design/methodology/approach – The techniques employed derive from the literature on trade areas (customer spotting and ring studies) and spatial analysis (nearest neighbour analysis, Ripley's K statistic and median centre). Findings – The research demonstrates that there is a geographic factor in the distribution of firms associated with a technology centre and some of their characteristics depend on their proximity to such a centre. Trade areas are determined and access facilities are detected. It has also been observed how geographic proximity is coupled with functional (sector) factors in the firm-technology centre relationship. Practical implications – These findings may contribute towards strategies for locating technology centres, and may be extended to future centre networks and to the development of more efficient marketing strategies aimed at attracting and acquiring client firms. Originality/value – To date, little is known about the spatial distribution of firms associated with technology centres, nor are there studies that relate the profile of user firms in relation to the distance from their premises to the technology centre. Using methodology previously applied to trade areas, this research has identified the spatial pattern of associated firms which may be of use for a variety of purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the similarities and differences in the potential wine tourist market, distinguishing between the actual market (AM) and the people “willing to practise wine tourism” (WP). This kind of analysis introduces a new aspect with regards to previous studies which were focused primarily on the AM, which is to say, on interviewing tourists at wineries. The information analysed has been obtained by way of personal interviews with residents of the city of Valencia (Spain). The number of valid interviews was 320. The results indicate that the AM of wine tourists in Valencia comprises 48.5% of the population, while the WP market amounts to 28.2%. Both the AM and those willing to practise wine tourism show considerable interest in wine and cultural heritage. They differ, however, in terms of leisure. There is also agreement among around 60% who indicate that they have paid or would pay around €8 to visit a winery. Among the differences, it is worth noting that the AM has a higher percentage of middle-aged men with university studies and mid-high to high incomes; furthermore, the group is largely made up of individuals who consume wine on a daily basis and have considerable interest and knowledge of the wine world. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]