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Distribution structure is the link between a society´s needs and its industrial responses. A change in distribution structure brings about a consumption structure which may results in considerable changes in lifestyle including food habits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a effect of change of distribution structure on the food purchase. The survey was carried from May to June, 1997 by way of questionnaire of 407 housewives, aged 23-64 years, in Seoul and the capital area. The questionaire consists of sociodemographic characteristics of the subjects and distribution channel, information route of food selection, acknowledgement and coefficient of utilization of new distribution channel, mainly used distribution channel in food purchase, important factors in food selection, and food purchasing behavior. Their data were statistically analyzed based on frequency, mean, and X²-test. The major findings of this study were as follows; 1) Most frequently used distribution channels in food purchase were supermarket(38.53%), department store(15.23%), discount store(14.05%), a conventional retail market(13.87%), membership wholesale club(8.07%), and a conventional wholesale market(6.53%). 2) The new distribution channels that subjects have ever used were discount store(75.4 % of the subject), membership wholesale club(63 %), mail order house(32 %), outlet store(29.4 %), home shopping(10.3 %). 3) Compared to the subject living far from the new distribution channel, the subject living close to the new distribution channel was higher in frequency of new distribution channel utilization. These observations suggest that change of the distribution structure promotes the change of the food purchasing behavior.
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