SUPERMARKET

large retail store operated on a self-service basis, selling groceries, fresh produce, meat, bakery and dairy products, and sometimes an assortment of nonfood goods. Supermarkets gained acceptance in the United States during the 1930s. The early stores were usually located in reconverted industrial buildings in outlying areas; they had no elaborate display facilities, and their primary advantage was their low prices. During the 1940s and '50s they became the major food marketing channel in the United States and in the 1950s spread through much of Europe. The extent to which they have succeeded in various countries has depended on the ability or willingness of producers and wholesalers to adapt their operations to large-scale retailing. The spread of supermarkets is part of a trend in the developed countries toward reducing costs and simplifying the pattern of marketing. During the 1960s, supermarkets appeared in developing countries in the Middle East, East Asia, and Latin America, where they appealed largely to upper middle income groups who had the necessary buying power and food-storage facilities.