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Antitrust Analysis of Supermarket Retailing: Common Global Concerns that Play Out in Local Markets

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  • Ronald W. Cotterill

Abstract

This paper reviews the basic antitrust standards for the supermarket industry including definition of product and geographic markets and the exercise of coordinated and unilateral market power. It surveys the structure-conduct-performance and the New Empirical Industrial Organization literature to highlight alternative tests for supermarket power. The focus is a supermarket chain?s ability to exercise buyer as well as seller power. Recent research on vertical pricing topics including noncompetitive pricing games, double marginalization, private labels, vertical foreclosure, vertical price leadership and price transmission expand the analysis to market channel pricing issues. The availability of comprehensive scanner data, new economic theory and extensive computing power now allows one to estimate food manufacturer and supermarket retailer pricing conduct in the wholesale market jointly with retailer conduct in the consumer market.

Suggested Citation

  • Ronald W. Cotterill, 2005. "Antitrust Analysis of Supermarket Retailing: Common Global Concerns that Play Out in Local Markets," Food Marketing Policy Center Research Reports 088, University of Connecticut, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Charles J. Zwick Center for Food and Resource Policy.
    • Handle: RePEc:zwi:fpcrep:088
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    File URL: http://fmpc.uconn.edu/publications/rr/rr88.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cotterill, Ronald W & Putsis, William P, Jr & Dhar, Ravi, 2000. "Assessing the Competitive Interaction between Private Labels and National Brands," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 73(1), pages 109-137, January.
    2. Bruce L. Gardner, 1975. "The Farm-Retail Price Spread in a Competitive Food Industry," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 57(3), pages 399-409.
    3. Cotterill, Ronald W., 2003. "The Impact of the Northeastern Dairy Compact on New England Consumers: A Report from the Milk Policy Wars," Research Reports 25171, University of Connecticut, Food Marketing Policy Center.
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    5. Charles Hyde & Jeffrey Perloff, 1998. "Multimarket market power estimation: the Australian retail meat sector," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(9), pages 1169-1176.
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    7. Donghun Kim, 2004. "Estimation of the Effects of New Brands on Incumbents’ Profits and Consumer Welfare: The U.S. Processed Cheese Market Case," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 25(3), pages 275-293, September.
    8. Howard Smith, 2004. "Supermarket Choice and Supermarket Competition in Market Equilibrium," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 71(1), pages 235-263.
    9. Steve McCorriston, 2002. "Why should imperfect competition matter to agricultural economists?," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 29(3), pages 349-371, July.
    10. Evans, William N & Froeb, Luke M & Werden, Gregory J, 1993. "Endogeneity in the Concentration-Price Relationship: Causes, Consequences, and Cures," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(4), pages 431-438, December.
    11. Cotterill, Ronald W, 1986. "Market Power in the Retail Food Industry: Evidence from Vermont," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 68(3), pages 379-386, August.
    12. Dae‐Wook Kim & Christopher R. Knittel, 2006. "Biases In Static Oligopoly Models? Evidence From The California Electricity Market," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4), pages 451-470, December.
    13. Bettendorf, L & Verboven, F, 2000. "Incomplete Transmission of Coffee Bean Prices: Evidence from the Netherlands," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 27(1), pages 1-16, March.
    14. Cotterill, Ronald W & Haller, Lawrence E, 1992. "Barrier and Queue Effects: A Study of Leading U.S. Supermarket Chain Entry Patterns," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(4), pages 427-440, December.
    15. Cotterill, Ronald W., 1998. "Estimation of Cost Pass Through to Michigan Consumers in the ADM Price Fixing Case," Research Reports 25148, University of Connecticut, Food Marketing Policy Center.
    16. Chevalier, Judith A, 1995. "Capital Structure and Product-Market Competition: Empirical Evidence from the Supermarket Industry," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 85(3), pages 415-435, June.
    17. Kim, Donghun, 2004. "Estimation of the Effects of New Brands on Incumbents' Profits and Consumer Welfare: The U.S. Processed Cheese Market Case," Research Reports 25192, University of Connecticut, Food Marketing Policy Center.
    18. Ronald W. Cotterill, 1999. "An Antitrust Economic Analysis of the Proposed Acquisition of Supermarkets General Holdings Corporation be Ahold Acquisition Inc," Food Marketing Policy Center Research Reports 046, University of Connecticut, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Charles J. Zwick Center for Food and Resource Policy.
    19. Mills, David E, 1995. "Why Retailers Sell Private Labels," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 4(3), pages 509-528, Fall.
    20. Luke Froeb & Daniel Hosken & Janis Pappalardo, 2004. "Economics Research at the FTC: Information, Retrospectives, and Retailing," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 25(4), pages 353-374, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Smith, Rhonda L., 2006. "The Australian grocery industry: a competition perspective," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 50(1), pages 1-18, March.
    2. Rhonda L. Smith, 2006. "The Australian grocery industry: a competition perspective," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 50(1), pages 33-50, March.

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