Sdfsffsf sdfsdfsdfsdfsfdfwesf improved customer retention (Day,

1994). The supermarket industry in Sri Lanka is set for explosive growth, given the western
lifestyles of Sri Lankans, where convenience is a key benefit sought. Cargills Food City, Keells
Super and Luagfs Sunup are some of the supermarket chains that have expanded operations. In
addition there are other operators such as Park n' Shop, Arpico Super Centres and Crystal
(Business & Finance, 2012). However, despite the growth potential, the Modern trade
Managers Survey report (2011) says that most supermarkets operate on thin margins and try to
sell higher volumes to cover operational costs while at the same time focusing on cost effective
strategies. Owing to the high competition in the industry; various promotions and loyalty
schemes, advertising has to be carried out on a regular basis to retain the respective clientele
keeping the switching cost of customers at a minimum (Business & Finance, 2012). There are
516 supermarkets being operated in the country which can be categorized as supermarkets,
hypermarkets and convenience stores. Cargills operates 177 supermarkets and the state owned
Sathosa which offers products at a subsidized rate operates a convenience store network of 250
stores. Keells has 48 supermarkets being converted to a hyper markets while Arpico operates
13 hyper markets (Business & Finance, 2012).
Modern trade sector rapidly increased with the favorable economic situation in the country
(Annual Report, 2011). According to the Modern trade Managers Survey report (2011),
number of customer complaints against supermarkets has been increased over the period of
time. One of the main objectives of the outlet managers of respective outlet was to solve
Sri Lanka Journal of Marketing Vol. 01, Issue. 02 (July – December 2015)
38
customer related issues (Modern trade Managers Survey report, 2011). Following table depicts
that the average customer complaints per outlet in Western Province.
Table 1. Average customer complaints per outlet in Western Province (Per month)
Supermarket
Number of outlets
A
167.30
B
214.44
C
121.60
D
93.10
Source: Modern trade Managers Survey report (2011)
Kampala (2009) stated that gaps in service quality and customer satisfaction in supermarkets
have led to persistent complaints dsfsfsdfsdfsdf sfsf to check whether customers
engaged in the supermarket shopping are satisfied according to the service provided b

(PDF) A Study on Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction of Supermarkets in Sri Lanka.
Available from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309576306_A_Study_on_Service_Quality_and_Custo
mer_Satisfaction_of_Supermarkets_in_Sri_Lanka [accessed Dec 09 2018].