Indigenous Market Participation in Commercial Retail: Traditional Foods as an Empirical Case and Entrepreneurship Possibility Space

ABSTRACT Commercial markets are institutional environments that shape which products are available and how value is signalled to and perceived by consumers. This study examines how such environments shape Indigenous participation in market exchanges, using Traditional Foods (TFs) in grocery retail as an empirical case. Using loyalty card data from 244 grocery stores in Quebec (2015–2016), we first assessed TF availability and found that only 34.5% of reference TF items appeared in retail assortments, with representation concentrated in categories compatible with conventional supply chains and no products supplied by Indigenous enterprises. We then estimated TF demand using two‐level Tobit models, comparing First Nations and general population consumers. Results revealed no differences in baseline price sensitivity, but stronger responsiveness among First Nations consumers to local, organic and fresh product attributes, as well as promotional cues. Together, the findings revealed inequalities in Indigenous market participation reflected through selective availability and the interpretation of standardized market signals rather than differential price responsiveness. Results are discussed in terms of the possibility spaces opened for Indigenous entrepreneurs on both supply/demand sides of the food value chain to build bridges between local and industrial markets and partake in economic reconciliation at scale. Merchandizing and marketing pathways in this direction are suggested.