Supermarket Promotions, Obesity and Food Demand

This PhD will examine the role that supermarket promotions play in the purchases of healthy and unhealthy food among various socio-economic groups of consumers. The project is desk-based, involving the econometric analysis of a large consumer panel of the barcode-specific purchases of 3,000 UK households over an eight year period. The phd will be of particular relevance to applicants with a strong background and aptitude in quantitative methods, particularly (but not exclusively) those with a degree in economics or related subject.

The research will establish whether promotions are more prevalent on unhealthy food and the extent to which supermarket promotions contribute to healthy and unhealthy patterns of food consumption. Of particular interest is how the intensity and type of promotion affects the food demand of socio-economically deprived groups (such as the unemployed or elderly), since it is well known that these groups: (a) have a tendency to exhibit poor diets yet; (b) are potentially the most price sensitive of all consumer groups and hence susceptible to the sort of promotional discounting that epitomises modern food retailing.

Whilst having a strong society focus, the research is highly technical, employing a recent advance in econometric modelling called quantile regression. This method will facilitate the modelling of food demand across key sub-groups (so-called quantiles) of the population rather than just its central tendency, as with orthodox methods. The modelling framework is particularly relevant to food demand where theory and evidence indicate that different groups of consumers behave in markedly different ways to the same stimulus.

The matched funding partner for this project, Scotland’s Rural College, will provide access to eight waves (2006-2013) of Kantar Worldpanel food consumption data. This is a high-frequency, barcode-specific database of food purchases for 3,000 households across Scotland. Owing to its cost, Kantar data is typically unavailable to academic researchers and access to it represents a rare opportunity to exploit this valuable resource. This database of food consumption is also particularly appealing since Scotland is something of an exemplar, having one of the worst records of obesity in the OECD.

As part of the project, the student will gain knowledge of the theory and empirics of food demand and expertise in the use of econometric methods and software. Training for this will be led by the student’s supervisors and will include relevant courses offered by Bournemouth University and other short courses where necessary. Dr. Revoredo-Giha has extensive experience of programming languages and the management of large databases using Visual Basic which will be an additional source of training for the student. The skills acquired in the preparation and analysis of the dataset are highly sought-after and transferable in both academic and commercial settings.

It is anticipated that the student will present findings flowing from the research to academic and policy audiences and thus gain valuable experience in the translation, presentation and communication of technical research.

How to apply: Applications are made via our website using the Apply Online button below. If you have an enquiry about this project please contact us via the Email NOW button below, however your application will only be processed once you have submitted an application form as opposed to emailing your CV to us.

Candidates for funded PhD studentship must demonstrate outstanding qualities and be motivated to complete a PhD in 3 years.
All candidates must satisfy the University’s minimum doctoral entry criteria for studentships of an honours degree at Upper Second Class (2.1) and/or an appropriate Master’s degree. An IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 minimum (or equivalent) is essential for candidates for whom English is not their first language.

In addition to satisfying basic entry criteria, BU will look closely at the qualities, skills and background of each candidate and what they can bring to their chosen research project in order to ensure successful and timely completion.