TORONTO, February 14, 2005 -- A York University professor’s study of Chinese immigrants’ shopping patterns has shown that grocery superstores in the GTA are failing to capture their slice of this ethnic food market. 
“Grocery superstores have really been trying to cater to the Asian market -- some now have whole sections devoted to Asian food. But the model isn’t working in the case of Chinese immigrants,” says York professor Lucia Lo.
“Most are not shopping at mainstream stores for Chinese foods.”
In a detailed survey of the shopping habits of hundreds of Chinese immigrants in North York and Scarborough, Lo and her team found that respondents were unlikely to purchase even the most basic items of a traditional diet, like soy sauce, at mainstream grocery stores.
She found that they instead travel to Chinese supermarkets for “anything to do with cooking -- meats, fish, vegetables, seasonings,” says Lo. Survey results show that Chinese immigrants tend to make a separate trip to a mainstream store for North American staple items, like milk and bread, and household items such as cleaning products.
“Of course it makes sense that people want brands they’re familiar with,” Lo says. “What’s interesting is that many immigrants are holding on to the mentality that traditional Chinese ‘market style’ shopping is better -- where you pick up food each day and ‘cook fresh.’ But the majority of respondents have adopted the North American style of shopping once a week.”
Lo was also struck by the fact that these habits change very little over time.
“If you look at the way new immigrants shop, and compare this with Chinese who have been here for 25 years, there is virtually no change whatsoever.”
Participants were asked to answer a range of questions including those that gauged attitudes regarding price points, cleanliness, and shopping atmosphere, in both Chinese and mainstream supermarkets.
Lo, a professor in York University’s Department of Geography, is also studying attitudes towards the Asian arm of retail giant Wal-Mart in several Chinese cities.
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For further information, please contact:
Melissa Hughes, Media Relations, York University, 416-736-2100 x22097/ mehughes@yorku.ca
