Migranti e consumi: il versante dell’offerta. Strategie di imprenditoria straniera nel settore del commercio alimentare al dettaglio

Migrants and consumption: the supply side. Strategies of migrant entrepreneurship in the retail food trade - The phenomenon of consumption among foreigners is becoming increasingly relevant within the Italian context, bringing growing attention from the social sciences. While most studies have focused their attention almost exclusively on the demand side, the study presented here rather tries to deal with the phenomenon from the supply perspective. Here migrants have taken a leading role in the development of an increasingly articulated market addressed to an audience of co-ethnics, and then gradually to a local clientele. The analysis focuses in particular on some economic activities in the retail food business of entrepreneurs of Moroccan origins. Through the empirical study of these activities, the article tries to outline some of the main entrepreneurial strategies of integration, adaptation and innovation of migrant economic activities within the Italian context. On the basis of the cases analysed, some concluding remarks on the phenomenon of foreign entrepreneurship and its possible future developments in Italy are drawn.

Keywords Consumption; migrant entrepreneurship; retail trade; ethnic food.;

Eleonora Castagnone, Migranti e consumi: il versante dell’offerta. Strategie di imprenditoria straniera nel settore del commercio alimentare al dettaglio in "MONDI MIGRANTI" 3/2008, pp 133-150, DOI: 10.3280/MM2008-003008