Managing Perceived Risk as a Marketing Strategy for Beef in the UK Foodservice Industry

Within the UK retail sector, relationships between retailers, processors and farmers

have changed, as vertical co-ordination has emerged as a strategy to manage the perceived risks associated with the consumption of beef. However, little attention has been given to the examination of contractual relationships within the foodservice sector. This paper presents the results of a case study investigating the degree to which vertical co-ordination as a niche marketing strategy by one foodservice supplier has been successful in managing the perceived risk associated with fresh beef for their independent catering customers