How consumer preference determines site selection in a metropolitan setting: Analysis of retailer perspective to stay ahead of the competition in the aftermath of a large-scale crisis

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, F & B retailers in emerging markets are analyzing shifts in customer preference to create effective store expansion strategies. Key attributes in site selection were identified by a mixed methods survey of customers and retailers (non-alcoholic beverages); there were 370 respondents in the quota sampling (customers) and 83 respondents in the census sampling (retailers). Descriptive statistics was used to rank the top attributes influencing store selection; the attributes were grouped into two sets of components by EFA which may offer alternative ways to find reliable data for site selection; all data were processed by SPSS.