Corporate social responsibility: a case study of the UK's leading food retailers

The purpose of this paper is to offer a preliminary case study exploration of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues being addressed and reported by the UK's leading food retailers.

The paper begins with a short discussion of the characteristics and origins of CSR and this is followed by an outline of the structure of food retailing in the UK and of the ways in which the leading food retailers are driving innovation and development. The paper draws its empirical material from the CSR reports and information posted on the world wide web by the UK's ten leading food retailers.

The findings reveal that each of the leading food retailers has its own approach to CSR and that there are substantial variations in the nature and extent of the reporting process. That said, there is some common ground in reporting on a range of environmental issues, on sourcing, on employees, on customers and on the communities in which the retailers operate. The underlying message is that all food retailers believe that CSR is an integral element of their core business.

The paper provides an accessible review of CSR issues and agendas, as perceived by the UK's leading food retailers, and as such will interest academics and practitioners working in and on this sector of the retail marketplace.