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Food Retailers' Pricing and Marketing Strategies, with Implications for Producers

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  • Sexton, Richard J.
  • Xia, Tian
  • Li, Lan

Abstract

This paper examines grocery retailers' ability to influence prices charged to consumers and paid to suppliers. We discuss how retailer market power manifests itself in terms of pricing and marketing strategies by setting forth and offering evidence in support of eight "stylized facts" of retailer pricing and brand decisions. We argue that little, if any, of this behavior can be explained by a model of a competitive, price-taking retailer, but that most of the indicated behavior was also inconsistent with traditional models of market power. Finally, we discuss the impacts of aspects of this retailer behavior on the upstream farm sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Sexton, Richard J. & Xia, Tian & Li, Lan, 2006. "Food Retailers' Pricing and Marketing Strategies, with Implications for Producers," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 35(2), pages 1-18, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:arerjl:10213
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.10213
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    1. Sexton, Richard & Zhang, Mingxia & Chalfant, James, 2003. "Grocery Retailer Behavior in the Procurement and Sale of Perishable Fresh Produce," Contractor and Cooperator Reports 291974, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Mingxia Zhang & Richard J. Sexton, 2002. "Optimal Commodity Promotion when Downstream Markets are Imperfectly Competitive," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 84(2), pages 352-365.
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    8. Daniel H. Pick & Jeffrey Karrenbrock & Hoy F. Carman, 1990. "Price asymmetry and marketing margin behavior: An example for California-Arizona citrus," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 6(1), pages 75-84.
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    10. Elizabeth J. Warner & Robert B. Barsky, 1995. "The Timing and Magnitude of Retail Store Markdowns: Evidence from Weekends and Holidays," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(2), pages 321-352.
    11. Dimitri, Carolyn & Tegene, Abebayehu & Kaufman, Phillip R., 2003. "U.S. Fresh Produce Markets: Marketing Channels, Trade Practices, And Retail Pricing Behavior," Agricultural Economic Reports 33907, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
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    Cited by:

    1. Evert Los & Cornelis Gardebroek & Ruud Huirne, 2021. "Explaining output price heterogeneity in Dutch horticulture," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 37(4), pages 891-914, October.
    2. Alessandro Bonanno & Carlo Russo & Luisa Menapace, 2018. "Market power and bargaining in agrifood markets: A review of emerging topics and tools," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(1), pages 6-23, December.
    3. Anania, Giovanni & Nisticò, Rosanna, 2014. "Price dispersion and seller heterogeneity in retail food markets," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 190-201.
    4. Castellari, Elena & Moro, Daniele & Platoni, Silvia & Sckokai, Paolo, 2018. "Retailers’ strategies and food price dynamics: Evidence from dairy scanner data," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 212-224.
    5. Carlo Russo & Rachael Goodhue, 2018. "Farmgate prices, retail prices, and supermarkets' pricing decisions: An integrated approach," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(1), pages 24-43, December.
    6. Weaver, Robert D. & Moon, Yongma, 2018. "Pricing Perishables with Uncertain Demand, Substitutes, and Consumer Heterogeneity," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 9(5), December.
    7. Giovanni Anania & Rosanna Nisticò, 2011. "Price Dispersion, Search Costs And Consumers And Sellers Heterogeneity In Retail Food Markets," Working Papers 201105, Università della Calabria, Dipartimento di Economia, Statistica e Finanza "Giovanni Anania" - DESF.
    8. Richard Volpe, 2013. "Promotional Competition Between Supermarket Chains," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 42(1), pages 45-61, February.

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