Les distributeurs à la conquête de la légitimité territoriale : le cas Carrefour

Beyond the marketing objectives usually associated with the creation of a brand (in terms of image, loyalty, benefits...), « terroir » private label is involved in the construction of the perceived legitimacy of large retailers. The concept of « terroir » private label consists on putting together, under one umbrella brand, several regional and typical products that fulfil specifications based on culture, tradition and know-how of SME's. Each retailer selects in a given region an SME who will manufacture the product. The SME network thus constructed is composed of SMEs whose territorial legitimacy is built. The « terroir » private label can thus be regarded as a factor that enhances the transfer of the territorial legitimacy from SME's to retailers. This paper based on the neo-institutional approach, propose to study the effect of "terroir" private label on the process of territorial legitimacy of retailers. Our research is based on a case study of the Reflets de France brand of Carrefour. The results of a quantitative survey of 196 consumers validate the "terroir" image of the private brand Reflets de France and highlight the positive relationship between attitude toward the brand Reflets de France and the perceived legitimacy of the retailer.