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The Marin City Market Analysis Project:

A Community-Driven Effort in Advocacy and Research

Anna Allison
MPH 633
April 25, 2014
University of San Francisco

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Introduction
Since 2010, Marin has been ranked as the healthiest county in California by the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation (County of Marin, 2014). Marin City, which lies between the borders
of San Francisco and the suburban spread of Mill Valley and Larkspur, suffers from a
disproportionate amount of obesity in the adult population. In Marin City, around 75 percent of
the adults are overweight or obese, while in other Marin neighborhoods, obesity is far below the
state average (Lewis & Burd-Sharps, 2012). The disparity between Marin City and the rest of
Marin county is in part due to poverty, food insecurity, racial segregation, and the systematic
perpetuation of such issues (Lewis & Burd-Sharps, 2012). Marin City has five fast food
restaurants and two convenience stores, but no grocery store. The only other locations, besides
fast food restaurants and convenience stores, that sell groceries in Marin City are CVS and the
Dollar Store (Marin Community Services District, 2014).
CVS sells vegetables, but sporadically and without the intent of true meal creation. A
recent survey of the community showed that CVS sold produce, but the selection was so limited
that it would be impossible to base a meal off of whats available. The CVS that is located in
Marin City sells primarily limes and lemons. The demand for those fruits is based in mixing
alcoholic beverages, not in sustaining a family (Marin Community Services District, 2014).
Both the Dollar Store and CVS accept CalFresh, but neither accept WIC. This severely limits
availability to low income families, especially families with young children (Marin Community
Services District, 2014).
In Marin City, over half of the adults are overweight 60.9 percent to be exact (Lewis &
Burd-Sharps, 2012). Healthy options, like Good Earth in Fairfax, or Whole Foods in Mill Valley,
which might combat obesity rates, are not available to the residents of Marin City, based on both
location and income. Thus, the epidemic of obesity in areas like Marin City is self-perpetuating.
When a community has no alternatives, it is easy to spend limited dollars on fast or pre-packaged
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and highly processed food. There is a difference between an establishment that sells food, and an
establishment that sells groceries.
Several community and government groups, such as the Marin City Community Services
District and the Health and Wellness Center, are currently advocating for a grocery store in the
community. While the desire for better health is there, retail stores are hesitant to enter the area.
There used to be a grocery store in Marin City, a FoodsCo that closed in 2000 (Marin
Community Services District, 2014). This lingering idea of failure has made other grocery
suppliers wary of moving into the area. When asked, many stores say that Marin City is too
small a community to support a full service grocery store (Marin Community Services District,
2014). However, there has not been a comprehensive market analysis done to show whether or
not the community could support an additional retailer. However, data from various cities across
the country show that anywhere from 1200 to 8800 residents are needed to support a full
service grocery store, depending on the size of the store (Scully, 2011). As the population of
Marin City was 2,666 in 2010, there is reason to believe a grocery store is possible (County of
Marin, 2014). While the possibility is there, retailers will be hesitant to enter a previously
unsuccessful location without data support the move. Given residents familiarly with the area,
each other, and passion for the project, a community driven market analysis could provide the
right catalyst for grocers.
A market analysis usually consists of primary research such as interviewing, surveying,
questionnaires and focus groups. This research would lend its self well to community based
participatory research as community members may already possess many of the skills needed. As
there is already an organized movement around bringing a grocery store to Marin City, the
community members' passion for the project may help inspire retailers to take a chance on the
historically risky neighborhood.
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Performing a market analysis using community based participatory research may also
help residents take ownership of the results of the information. The research shows that simply
bringing a grocery store into a food desert is not enough to change the way that people shop.
They may also need coaching to change their day-to-day habits (Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, 2014). However, if a grocery store was the direct result of the community members
own work, perhaps it would be quicker to catch on. As the community as already voiced interest
in bringing a grocery store to Marin City, performing a market analysis is a good example of
starting where the people are (Minkler & Wallerstein, 2010, 155). While there are problems to
be overcome in Marin City, some of the communitys greatest strengths are its organization, and
readiness for action. This project would be guided by the communitys own needs and voice.

Defining the Community
Marin City is a small community just northwest of Sausalito in Marin County. As a
grocery store is of import to all residents of Marin City, the target population of the Marin City
Market Analysis Project would be every household in Marin City. While surveying every
household may not be possible, it would be important to cast as wide a net as possible, and to
survey as many households in the radius of the grocery store as is feasible. With a dedicated
team, a reasonable target goal would be to survey at least 600 households. If there are an average
of two individuals per household, this will capture about 45 percent of residents.
As Marin City is consistently under represented to the rest of the county, it would be
important to try and accurately capture the voice of the community. The more who participate in
the project, the more organic it will feel. For this reason, it would be worth spending as much
time as possible in the data collection phase. Marin City is a small community, so in order to be
taken seriously, and to be seen as a viable market to retailers, it would be necessary to present
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survey and interview findings with a high response rate. As the target population is not limited
by age, gender, or ethnicity, it would be all-inclusive.

Defining Roles
It would be important that the community members and researchers collaborated while
defining the roles of each party. It may make sense for community members to manage much of
the primary research while researchers focused on secondary research. It could be that
performing the literature reviews and web research characteristic of secondary research would
not be the best use of community members time and expertise (Minkler & Wallerstein, 2010).
Focusing on primary data collection, while researchers practiced in web research could perform
efficient secondary research could maximize the experiences and expertise of community
members. However, this is merely a starting assumption that could be challenged and changed as
the project progressed.
The primary research of the market analysis project would be interviewing and surveying
as many households in Marin City as possible. With some training on interviewing techniques,
community members may be perfectly situated to gather information from their peers and
neighbors. Much like the survey data gathered from the East Side Village Health Worker
Partnership, where partner organizations were selected based on their history of involvement
and credibility in the community, it would be prudent for the interviewers of the Marin City
Market Analysis Project to be trusted members of the community with a history of involvement
(Minkler & Wallerstein, 2010, 288).
In the case of the market analysis, secondary research would consist primarily of
conducting a comprehensive review of the literature. Since there are so few other food sellers in
Marin City, analyzing the potential competitors of a grocery store would be a short work. There
would also be little need explore the target audience for a grocery store, since it would
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presumably serve all members of the community. It may be most efficient for researchers who
are experienced in secondary research to perform this phase of the data collection, and then
disseminate their findings among community partners.
Both community members and researchers would have a role when analyzing the
qualitative data collected from the interviews and surveys. Much like the focus group data from
the Latino Mens Soccer League, focus groups could be used to ensure the voice of all partners
was heard (Minkler & Wallerstein, 2010). Since the desire to perform this research has arisen
organically in the community, it would make sense to spend the time to ensure that the findings
are analyzed to everyones satisfaction. Community members would also have invaluable input
when deciding things like the type and placement of the grocery store as well as how it should be
advertised to the community. Community members and researchers could also work together
when deciding appropriate interview and survey questions.

Structuring the Research
For the sake of expedience, researchers and community members could interview
households in teams of one or two. Ideally, each team would consist of a community member
and someone who spoke Spanish. Residents may be more likely to open up to other members of
their community, and it would be important not to exclude those who did not speak English.
Once the data was collected, small focus groups with an equal number of community members
and researchers could identify trends in the qualitative data, as was the process of the Latino
Mens Soccer League (Minkler & Wallerstein, 2010). This would ensure that everyones voice
was represented, and didnt get lost among the size of the whole group. Once sufficient
information was gathered to compile the market analysis, researchers could work with one or
two key members of the community to compile the report and prepare it for distribution.
Community members could then have the opportunity to review it and make changes before it
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was distributed to potential retailers. How the research was disseminated to retailers should be a
decision that is made by the group as a whole. This is discussed further in the following section.

Maximizing Participation
In the case of the Marin City Market Analysis Project, the question has already been well
defined by retailers and community members. Is Marin City big enough to support a full service
grocery store? Data collected from other cities across the country seem to indicate that the
population of Marin City is large enough, but a market analysis would help negate many of the
lingering questions, and perhaps quell the remaining doubt.
When performing data collection, it would be advantageous for researchers and
community members to try and reach Marin City residents through various methods. Project
participates could interview residents over the phone and in person, as well as distribute surveys
that could be mailed back with responses. By using several methods of communication, the
projects reach could be maximized, and the data gathered would be more comprehensive and
useful to retailers.

It would be important to disseminate the market analysis and survey findings throughout
the community. Many non-government organizations and citizens are interested in seeing a
grocery store in Marin City, and it will be important to inform them on the research results. The
Marin City Community Services District held a meeting on April 1, 2014 to discuss healthy food
access within Marin City (Marin Community Services District, 2014). The purpose of this
meeting was to accurately capture the voice of the community and to open a discussion on the
unmet needs of the area. One consensus was that Marin City needed a grocery store (Marin
Community Services District, 2014). After a market analysis is completed, it should be presented
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at a follow-up meeting. It would be a good way to inform the community of the progress that is
being made, as well as to demonstrate that their concerns are being heeded.
Due to the nature of the information, the target audience for the market analysis would be
potential retailers. Should the results favor a grocery store in Marin City, it may be prudent for a
member of the city council, or a well-respected local businessperson to present the proposal to
retailers. Alternatively, community members could present the results of the market analysis in a
small team. This may give potential businesses a look into the enthusiasm and support the
community would give to the retail establishment. However, it may be that retailers would value
the data more coming from someone they see as a professional businessperson. This should be a
decision that is made jointly among community members and researchers. There could be a case
made for a single spokesperson who is well respected in business, as well as for a community led
presentation of findings.

Conclusion
The Marin City Market Analysis Project would be a small, but crucial, component of the
larger effort to bring a grocery store to Marin City. The data that would be collected, and the
market analysis that would be created could arm the people of Marin City to advocate for
themselves. While bringing a grocery store to the community is inarguably the right thing to do,
it is also needs to be sustainable, and a profitable venture for the retailer that undertakes it. While
it is the prevailing belief of the community that there is enough business to support a grocery
store, data must be gathered to back up those claims. This project, once completed, would move
the communitys desires forward, and would be all the more valuable for their involvement and
direction.


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References
County of Marin. (2014, January 1). Statistics. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://
www.marincounty.org

Lewis, K., & Burd-Sharps, S. A Portrait of Marin. Human Development Project.
Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www.measureofamerica.com

Marin City Community Services District. (2014, January 1). . Retrieved April 25, 2014, from
http:// marincitygov.org

Minkler, M., & Wallerstein, N. (2010). Community-based participatory research for health:
from process to outcomes (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Scully, J. (2011, May 16). Rethinking Grocery Stores. Urban Land Magazine. http://
urbanland.uli.org/economy-markets-trends/rethinking-grocery-stores/