Linking retailer corporate brand and environmental sustainability practices

Purpose - The research aims to investigate the nexus between retailer corporate brand and sustainability practices. The literature linking these areas is relatively sparse. The point of departure is an existing conceptual model, to which another antecedent, customer perception of retailer environmental management practices, is added. Design/methodology/approach - The quantitative research design strategy incorporates the development of a survey instrument, administered in telephone interviews, by trained interviewers. The context was Canadian discount department store retailing and a sample of 473 consumers. Findings - The findings demonstrate that sustainability is a link, a brand association, between customers' perceptions of retailer sustainability practices, and their brand attitudes towards the retailer corporate brand. Research limitations/implications - The theoretical contribution is the development and testing of the extended model, affirming its validity. Practical implications - The managerial implications can guide retailers in enhancing their brand reputation through better environmental management practices. Originality/value - The study is pioneering in terms of conceptualising and empirically testing sustainability as a component of a corporate brand. This approach is able to control for other influences on the corporate brand.