Enlightenments and implications for distribution pattern of Chinese vegetables and fruits with Japanese direct sales store

Guowei Wan^{1, a} and Jun Abe^2,b

¹School of Management, Zhejiang Shuren University, Zhejiang Center for Modern Service Research Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310015, China

²Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifushi, 501-1193, Japan

*Corresponding Author’s E-mail: ajerryzuo63@hotmail. com

Accepted 24 April 2013

Abstract

Direct sales store came into being in Japan’s farm products distribution market in the 1990s. It is an innovation distribution pattern which combines the features of agricultural production with the stage of economic development as well as the structural changes in Japan’s family consumption. It shortens the distribution channel and time, and improves the marketability of farm products. However, most of vegetables or fruits produced in many producing areas are shipped to the wholesale market in China, which sometimes not only lost time but also increase cost. So how to create vegetable and fruit distribution model through developing direct sales stores is becoming more and more significant. This paper attempts to improve its distribution pattern by learning Japanese experience.

Keywords: direct sales store; Japan; enlightenment; fruits and vegetables distribution