Abstract
To impose themselves on the very competitive food consumption market, mass-marketing retailers have tackled the terroir and its regional food products. Today, store-brand regional products, which contribute to differentiation, are the only products whose market share continues to grow. This phenomenon reaffirms the consumers’ increasing interest for this type of products. Regional food products are becoming a new challenge not only in regards to consumption habits but also in regards to the food industry. The first goal of the research is to show how store-brand regional products contribute to building up the legitimacy of the brand by allowing it access to the best local/regional resources in order to obtain a competitive advantage. Its second goal is to create the necessary compliance requirements, in response to the pressure from the environment which confuses and/or threatens its legitimacy and the meaning of its actions. To answer the research question, the theoretical framework mobilizes three theoretical fields: terroir/regional image concepts and consumption value, as well as relationship marketing based on the consumer’s behavior and explained in particular by satisfaction, trust and the central legitimacy component of sociological institutionalism. The mixed methodology combines both a qualitative (20 interviews) and a quantitative approach (631 persons answered the two surveys). It also demonstrates the significant positive effect of the regional image interaction – how the store-brand regional consumption value and the territorial legitimacy of the brand are perceived. The territorial legitimacy contributes to building up confidence and gives media attention to the store-brand regional image and to the perceived value of the satisfaction and the confidence towards the brand.