Projektnamn: Women in Retail
Projektledare: Lucia Naldi, Jönköping International Business School (JIBS)
Övriga projektdeltagare: Magdalena Markowska, JIBS; Helena Nilsson, JIBS; Additional research assistant
Anslagsförvaltare: Jönköping International Business School (JIBS)
Beviljat anslag: 3 625 274kr
Löptid: 2023-09-01 till 2026-08-31
Sammanfattning av projektet:
A paradox constrains the growth of retailing in Sweden and worldwide. While more than half
of the new firms in retail are started by women, these firms tend to be smaller and grow less
than those started by men. To address this paradox, the project focuses on three equally
critical issues. First, it examines why women decide to start a retail firm and how their family
situation affects and is affected by this decision. Second, the project explores what
characterizes the retail firms started and run by women in terms of location, size, and growth
prospects. Third, it explores what distribution channels (online, physical store, or
combinations of the two) women entrepreneurs choose and what are the growth implications
of these choices. The project addresses these issues using a multi-method approach, which
combines a longitudinal quantitative study of Swedish matched employer-employee panel
data and a multiple case study that follows 20 women entrepreneurs and their retail firms over
three years. The project will result in a final report, papers in highly ranked academic
journals, digital material (comprising shorter videos and podcasts) as well as teaching material
that is to be integrated into courses. In addition, the project team will organize multiple
activities to co-produce and share knowledge based on the project’s results. The project will
contribute with new empirical knowledge on women entrepreneurs in Sweden and how they
approach and manage firm growth in the context of the recent digital transformations driving
innovation in the retail industry.
