This article provides a study of the practices of
forward buying in France. To do so, the author
used information collected in the course of semistructured
interviews, conducted between July
and September 1994 with the logistics managers
of ten major food retailers: Carrefour, Casino,
Comptoirs Modernes, Cora, Docks de France,
Intermarché, Leclerc, Prisunic (Pinault-Printemps),
Promodès and Système U[10].