Range analysis of the subcategory “Sour Cream and Cottage Cheese” sold in Moscow retail trade enterprises and their assortment policy for this subcategory

The purpose of the article is to analyze the trade assortment of the subcategory “Sour Cream and Cottage Cheese”, sold in stores of three retail chains in Moscow, and identify the main directions of their assortment policy for this subcategory. It was found that the trade assortment of the subcategory “Sour Cream and Cottage Cheese” was identified as expanded. Such indicators of the assortment of sour cream and cottage cheese as completeness, depth, stability, novelty, harmony, and rationality were determined. The highest coefficient of the assortment rationality was established in the Azbuka vkusa store, and the lowest — in Dixy and Magnolia. The types of sour cream and cottage cheese that predominate in the assortment in terms of quantity of local trademarks, depending on the store, were identified. It was found that curd products occupied the smallest share in the structure of the product range. The structure of the brand assortment is represented by 170 local trademarks and 56 trademarks. The following 4 trademarks: Prostokvashino, Rosagroexport, Domik v derevne, and Vkusnoteevo accounted for 20 to 32% of all local trademarks, while the share of 16 brands was 28%. The general directions of the assortment policy of the surveyed stores in the subcategory “Sour Cream and Cottage Cheese” were established, i.e. the stabilization of the product range and updating of the brand assortment. Notably, updating of the trade assortment occurs only at the trademark level due to the inclusion of new trademarks in the assortment, including little-known ones, as well as through modification of trademarks, mainly cottage cheese and curd products, by including berries or berry jam in the recipe. In addition, specific assortment policy directions for each store were identified.