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Antitrust analysis of supermarkets: global concerns playing out in local markets

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  • Ronald W. Cotterill

Abstract

This paper reviews the basic components of antitrust analysis for the supermarket industry, including definition of product and geographic markets and the measurement of market power. The analysis of prices and profits in a market structure context remains important, especially in countries such as Australia with very high supermarket concentration. Firm and brand level New Empirical Industrial Organisation models of demand and oligopoly pricing also provide insights for evaluating antitrust claims. Recent research on vertical pricing games and price transmission expand the analysis to market channel pricing issues, including coalescing power by supermarkets and food manufacturers. The issues and approaches explained in this paper are relevant for policy‐orientated research on supermarkets worldwide, including Australia.

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  • Ronald W. Cotterill, 2006. "Antitrust analysis of supermarkets: global concerns playing out in local markets," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 50(1), pages 17-32, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ajarec:v:50:y:2006:i:1:p:17-32
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8489.2006.00322.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Sofia Berto Villas-Boas, 2007. "Using Retail Data For Upstream Merger Analysis," Journal of Competition Law and Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 3(4), pages 689-715.
    2. Minten, Bart, 2007. "The food retail revolution in poor countries: Is it coming or is it over? Evidence from Madagascar," IFPRI discussion papers 719, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Sven Anders, 2008. "Imperfect Competition in German Food Retailing: Evidence from State Level Data," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 36(4), pages 441-454, December.
    4. David K. Round, 2006. "The power of two: squaring off with Australia's large supermarket chains," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 50(1), pages 51-64, March.
    5. Dieter Pennerstorfer & Franz Sinabell, 2013. "Spatial Price Differentiation and Regional Market Power. The Case of Food-Retailing in Austria," WIFO Working Papers 458, WIFO.
    6. 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.
    7. Round, David K., 2006. "The power of two: squaring off with Australia’s large supermarket chains," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 50(1), pages 1-14, March.
    8. Ram Acharya & Henry Kinnucan & Steven Caudill, 2011. "Asymmetric farm-retail price transmission and market power: a new test," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(30), pages 4759-4768.
    9. Villas-Boas, Sofia B, 2007. "Using Retail Scanner Data for Upstream Merger Analysis: Counterfactual Experiments in the Retail Coffee Market," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt5cn9d0rk, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    10. Rico Ihle & Ofir D. Rubin & Ziv Bar-Nahum & Roel Jongeneel, 2020. "Imperfect food markets in times of crisis: economic consequences of supply chain disruptions and fragmentation for local market power and urban vulnerability," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(4), pages 727-734, August.

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