URBAN AND REGIONAL DYNAMICS OF CASH AND CARRY EXPANSION IN BRAZIL
Abstract
In the last two decades, the rise of the cash-and-carry format as the primary marketing channel in urban centers has been the most significant transformation in Brazilian food retail. Cash-and-carry represents a hybrid business model that combines wholesale and retail activities, serving small traders and end consumers. This research aims to analyze the expansion of this format in the country, relating it to urban and regional dynamics. The methodological approach considered the territorial topology of cash-and-carry networks, with data on main business groups, number of stores, and geographical distribution. The expansion of the cash-and-carry was analyzed considering the IBGE's urban hierarchy ranking, based on the Regions of Influence of Cities (REGIC) survey. With high profitability, the cash-and-carry is the most visited format by Brazilian families, with a strong presence across all five REGIC classification levels, especially in metropolises and regional capitals. At the same time, urban centers with lower hierarchies have fewer stores.

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