The U.S Supermarket and Grocery Store Industry - Industry Analysis Project Source List

Here are some of the initial sources that I came across. Obviously, they'll get better as the project advances and it's focus might still evolve a bit:

General Overview & Industry trends 

http://www.plunkettresearch.com/food-beverage-grocery-market-research/industry-trends

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/7/prweb10931157.htm

http://www.marketresearch.com/IBISWorld-v2487/Supermarkets-Grocery-Stores-Risk-Rating-7551834/

http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/default.aspx?indid=1040

Issues & Threats for the SWOT Analysis

http://www.fmi.org/docs/gr/fmi-menu-labeling-issue-paper.pdf?sfvrsn=0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_politics

http://www.europe-economics.com/publications/the_relationship_between_supermarkets_and_suppliers.pdf

Although it is almost impossible to explain in detail without writing up a thesis, here are the fundamental questions that I would like my paper to address, albeit most of them are still abstract thoughts at this point:

Put simply, obviously and intuitively, it relates to the evolution of traditional brick and mortar retail into dynamic multi-functional digital platforms. I have been long intrigued by this concept and its rapid change is mesmerizing. But my interest lies in the consumer's shift in paradigm and the manner in which e-commerce giants such as Amazon are craft-fully influencing this change. In the words of one of Willamette's renowned marketing professors, "It's all about perception" - I believe that the likes of Amazon have the power to create favorable perceptions. No doubt, their service and prices are nearly unmatched and got them into this position in the first place. But now, they are almost capable of leading consumers into believing that there actually isn't any sane reason for them to visit stores anymore! It's quite similar to the Apple approach - Don't follow the trend, create it. However, in this case we are talking about the effective extinction of the physical storefront and I sincerely think that the e-comm giants are playing this out strategically - That if they believed the time is right, they could engineer processes to even overcome storage and delivery issues with perishable food products. Sure its a long shot, (Similar to what people said about cell phones, or tablets or even TV's & airplanes throughout history!) but that being said, will we soon witness the demise of the Supermarket?

Accenture frames the counter argument beautifully while serving as a reality check: What we can predict won't change? (http://www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-retail-2020-summary.aspx)

The environment. The increasingly individualized store experience. Growth and diversification of formats. Clearly these are all areas that will influence retailing through the next decade and beyond. Contemplating this increasingly complex, hyper-competitive world, it is somewhat comforting to note that one thing will never change in retail: Companies that can react swiftly to market trends and respond relevantly to new customer behaviors will achieve high performance and growth despite marketplace conditions.

With regard to the preceding paragraphs and after refining my questions from the project snapshot, I have chosen to stick to the following two despite their broad nature. I will however, tweak them up to better reflect a focus on the the U.S Supermarket and Grocery Store Industry:

1. How has the rise of online retail giants such as Amazon.com altered the general trends in the industry?

2. How do traditional ‘brick and mortar stores’ fare in this current scenario and are they transforming themselves to compete?  

Looking at both approaches, I would like to test their credibility in a plausible world roughly two decades from now, wherein physical stores are functionally obsolete and now mere boutiques, sculpted towards individual experiences. Virtual stores have evolved along with technological developments in requisite logistics to the extent that they thrive solely and most retailers have either embraced this change or folded. I want to explore the potential challenges that they may face in advancing towards this reality, which seems unlikely today.

I understand that my paper will be based on several assumptions, some of which may be far-fetched, but then I've always been much of a dreamer.