THE DISTRIBUTION, SALES, INVENTORY, AND RETAIL MARGIN 

 STATISTICS COLLECTED IN THE STORE AUDIT PHASE OF THE SURVEY 

 RELATE TO A TWO-MONTH PERIOD IN 1955. AS OF THE TIME OF THE 

 SURVEY, THE SHRIMP PRODUCT MOST WIDELY DISTRIBUTED IN RETAIL 

 STORES WAS CANNED SHRIMP. TOTAL SALES OF SHRIMP AND SHRIMP 

 PRODUCTS, AS PROJECTED FROM THE SAMPLE OF STORES AUDITED, 

 AMOUNTED TO 27.3 MILLION POUNDS VALUED AT $24,240,000 DURING 

 THE MONTHS OF AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 1955. RETAIL STORES SELLING 

 SHRIMP HAD APPROXIMATELY 8 MILLION POUNDS OF SHRIMP PRODUCTS IN 

 THEIR INVENTORIES ON OCTOBER 1, 1955. 



THE MERCHANDISING EXPERIMENT CONDUCTED AS A SEPARATE 

 PHASE OF THE SURVEY FURNISHED PROOF THAT MORE ADEQUATE STOCKING 

 AS WELL AS THE USE OF ADDITIONAL DISPLAY AND PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL 

 ARE EFFECTIVE MEANS OF BOOSTING SALES OF SHRIMP PRODUCTS IN 

 RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS. 



TRENDS IN DISTRIBUTION 



Originally shrimp were an article of local consumption. Because of 

 their perishable nature, they were consumed near the place of landing. When 



improvements in transportation and refrigeration made it possible to ship 

 shrimp to inland locations, the widely dispersed geographic market pattern 

 became more centralized. For approximately the past 20 years Nevi York 

 and Chicago have acted as the main price-registering centers of the 

 shrimp market. New Orleans with its French Market for fresh shrimp has 

 lost in importance during the same time. In recent years, the vrholesale 

 price quotations in the New York and Chicago markets have been reflected 

 in the prices quoted in other markets and in the producing coastal 

 centers. 



Recently a new alignment of market forces has appeared. This 

 alignment eventually may imperil the market role of Nev; York and Chicago. 

 Since today the large processing x-jholesaler, the importers of shrimp, 

 and the regional wholesalers are in daily telephone commixnication v/ith 

 each other and with their local buyers, the price-making process is 

 again becoming more decentralized. Counteracting this trend is the de- 

 clining number of buyers. The fact that the wholesale trade is dominated 

 by fewer and economically stronger buyers tends to eliminate some of 

 the geographic price differentials. Still, even within the fresh or the 

 frozen group, price variations exist because of such factors as differ- 

 ences in regional labor, transportation costs and fluctuations of supply. 

 The increase in freezings has encouraged standardization of product and, 

 thus, may bring about greater stability of prices. 



