Selena owns and operates a Global Goods grocery store. Although her store is independently owned and operated, she has signed an agreement with over seventy stores in the Midwest to use a common name, participate in chain promotions, and cooperate with other stores in the chain. What is Selena's store a part of?

Selena's store is part of a wholesale sponsored voluntary chain. This is a distribution channel and a vertical marketing strategy where a wholesaler supplies multiple retailers that come together under a contractual relationship. The wholesaler secures the goods at a lower price and allows the retailers to compete with bigger organizations. They unite under the same chain and work under the same name, but the stores are independently owned.