This study was done with the objective of verifying the possible existence of a pattern of distribution of the products on the supermarket’s shelves, considering the size and format of the stores. A case study was conducted in stores of a great chain in the city of São Paulo, where the relationship between the space allocation decisions and the size and the format of the stores were evaluated. It was expected that the bigger the correlation of the space allocated to sections and the size of the stores, the clearer the pattern of the chain; or, if this correlation does not exist, the chain could be more focused on the neighborhood’s demand. For this study, three supermarket formats were considered: compact, normal and large. The obtained results suggest that stores with the compact and normal format are more related to attend neighborhood demands than the stores with the large format. The fact that the null hypothesis - the size of the stores and the size of the sections have zero correlation - was systematically not rejected for the three store formats is a strong signal that the managerial decisions about shelf space allocation to stores of this chain could be more associated to the neighborhood than it would be expected from a chain. One reason for that is the fact that this chain has a very representative part of its products originated from its distribution center.
shelves; space-elasticity; efficient assortment; supermarket
