PurposeThis paper seeks to identify collaboration elements and evaluate their intensity in the Brazilian supermarket retail chain, especially the manufacturer‐retailer channel.Design/methodology/approachA structured questionnaire was elaborated and applied to 125 representatives from suppliers of large supermarket chains. Statistical methods including multivariate analysis were employed. Variables were grouped and composed into five indicators (joint actions, information sharing, interpersonal integration, gains and cost sharing, and strategic integration) to assess the degree of collaboration.FindingsThe analyses showed that the interviewees considered interpersonal integration to be of greater importance to collaboration intensity than the other integration factors, such as gain or cost sharing or even strategic integration.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was conducted solely from the point of view of the industries that supply the large retail networks. The interviews were not conducted in pairs; that is, there was no application of one questionnaire to the retail network and another to the partner industry.Practical implicationsCompanies should invest in conducting periodic meetings with their partners to increase collaboration intensity, and should carry out technical visits to learn about their partners' logistic reality and thus make better operational decisions.Originality/valueThe paper reveals which indicators produce greater collaboration intensity, and thus those that are more relevant to more efficient logistics management.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of logistics collaboration, meetings, relationship history, and supplier selection on the logistics performance of shippers, carriers, and logistics services providers. Rather than focusing on collaboration and performance, the research provides a wide analysis of how logistics collaboration and performance interact with other organizational practices. Design/methodology/approach To investigate the interaction among the constructs, the authors proposed a structural equation model to understand the influence of meetings, relationship history, supplier selection, and collaboration on logistics performance. The data were obtained through a survey of 199 managers of Brazilian companies in the retail sector. Findings Supplier selection has the strongest effect on logistics collaboration, and relationship history has the strongest effect on logistics performance. Rather than meetings and operational features, the elements of interpersonal skills, organizational culture, and communication appear to be the most important contributors to logistics performance achievements; relationship history leads to better performance. Originality/value This study contributes to our understanding of how and with whom to collaborate by highlighting the relationships among supplier selection, relationship history, meetings, and logistics collaboration and logistics performance.

Urban freight transport is a challenge for Brazilian cities due to the lack of adequate planning for freight flow movement. Public managers also show negligence and a lack of awareness when dealing with urban logistics. Decision-support data on urban freight transport are still scarce, despite being of fundamental value to economic development. With this in mind, this paper presents problems and solutions regarding urban freight transport in Brazilian cities. Data were obtained through a survey conducted in nine cities and analysed by means of descriptive statistics and the successive intervals method. Additionally, a cluster analysis was performed to identify patterns regarding the typical characteristics of each city in order to compare and generalise the perception of retailers regarding problems and solutions at the national level. The results indicate divergent opinions among retailers from different cities, even from cities with similar socioeconomic profiles and urban dynamics. The municipalities which demonstrated the most similarities were (i) Betim and Niteroi, in the Southeast of Brazil; (ii) Palmas and Quixada, in the North and Northeast, respectively; and (iii) Palmas and Caruaru, also in the North and Northeast. The results reinforce the importance of studying the local context and involving stakeholders in the process of planning urban logistics solutions.

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