Regulatory barriers and business model evolution: the case of the French retail sector. 24th International Conference of the French Strategic Management Society (AIMS)[Contraintes réglementaires et évolution des business models: le cas de la grande distribution alimentaire française. XXIVe Conférence Internationale de Management Stratégique (AIMS)]

Theoretically, an evolution of a firm's business model (BM) is required when a change occurs in its environment (internal or external). This evolution may lead to the transformation of an existing BM or to the launch of a new model. Most of the time, research in strategy highlight internal elements (such as the project of the top management) to explain BM evolution. Yet, the environment of the firm is a significant pattern of BM evolution. However, literature does not focus enough on those external factors in general, and on the regulatory barriers in particular. Thus, we try to understand in this research the impact of regulatory constraints on the evolution of the firms' business model. In order to do so, we implement a case study of the French retail sector. First of all, we discuss the factors which lead to the evolution of the firms' BM. Then, we carry out the in-depth study of a single case : the French retail sector. It allows us to identify its business models and regulatory barriers. Afterwards, we analyze the barriers to creation of new stores, so as to understand how the launch of new BM circumvent regulatory constraints. Finally, we identify the height of the barriers on the different BM. It allows us to set up the process of regulatory barriers' circumvention by the business model. The theorization process stemming from the case study leads to the emergence of three research proposals. Future academic works are required to investigate the new research fields opened by those proposals.