The gap between real and perceived sustainability inside grocery stores

Nowadays sustainability is an important aspect that a retailer must include in its strategy in order to be competitive on the market (Elg and Welinder, 2022). In fact, consumers look for sustainable stores and have an higher opinion of those retailers who act as good citizens (Luo and Bhattacharya, 2006; Kim et al., 2014). Typically, the main motivations for retailers to embark on sustainable strategies are, in addition to economic profitability, environmental regulations and consumer pressure (Saber and Weber, 2019). Bekele, Bosona, Nordmark, Gebresenbet and Ljungberg (2012) highlight the importance for the company to pursue sustainable actions, especially in the food sector, in terms of social, economic and environmental sustainability (Bhattacharyya, Dash, Hewege, Balaji and Lim, 2021). In fact sustainability must be pursued by companies which have the possibility to encourage sustainable behaviours in their customers. Furthermore, sustainability can support brand trust and credibility of retailers (Elg and Welinder, 2022). In fact, it is important to involve sustainable strategies in corporate agendas and guidelines. Luo and Bhattacharya (2006) found that retailers need to implement CSR if they want to build a satisfied customer base