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Retail market structure and consumer prices in the euro area

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  • Ciapanna, Emanuela
  • Rondinelli, Concetta

Abstract

We investigate the empirical relationship between product market competition and prices in the retail grocery sector in the euro area. The study uses micro-data from ACNielsen on chain stores' census characteristics and price levels for a broad variety of products. We construct Herfindahl-Hirschman indices of concentration at different levels of market aggregation (buying group and parent company) to investigate their effects on prices. The analysis confirms the inverse relation between downstream market competition among retailers and price levels for most of the reference products. Though less conclusive in terms of statistical significance, the proposed estimates also point to a welfare enhancing role of buying groups. Our results indicate that buying groups provide a balancing mechanism between retailers' and producers' bargaining power, in support of the countervailing power hypothesis. JEL Classification: L1, L4, L8, E31

Suggested Citation

  • Ciapanna, Emanuela & Rondinelli, Concetta, 2014. "Retail market structure and consumer prices in the euro area," Working Paper Series 1744, European Central Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20141744
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    1. V. Baugnet & D. Cornille & E. Dhyne & B. Robert, 2009. "Regulation and competition in the distribution sector in Belgium," Economic Review, National Bank of Belgium, issue iii, pages 33-57, September.
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    4. Eliana Viviano & Luciana Aimone Gigio & Emanuela Ciapanna & Daniele Coin & Fabrizio Colonna & Federica Lagna & Raffaele Santioni, 2012. "The retail trade sector and the food industry in Italy," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 119, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    5. Chen, Zhiqi, 2003. "Dominant Retailers and the Countervailing-Power Hypothesis," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 34(4), pages 612-625, Winter.
    6. Barros, Pedro Pita & Brito, Duarte & de Lucena, Diogo, 2006. "Mergers in the food retailing sector: An empirical investigation," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 447-468, February.
    7. Sofia Berto Villas‐Boas, 2009. "An empirical investigation of the welfare effects of banning wholesale price discrimination," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 40(1), pages 20-46, March.
    8. Emanuela Ciapanna & Concetta Rondinelli, 2011. "Retail sector concentration and price dynamics in the euro area: a regional analysis," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 107, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
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    Cited by:

    1. Peter Mayerhofer & Peter Huber & Dieter Pennerstorfer, 2017. "Handel und Einzelhandel im Wiener Beschäftigungssystem. Arbeitsmarktrelevanz, Arbeitsplatzcharakteristika, absehbare Herausforderungen," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 61951, April.
    2. Patrice Bougette & Oliver Budzinski & Frédéric Marty, 2019. "Exploitative Abuse and Abuse of Economic Dependence: What Can We Learn From an Industrial Organization Approach?," Revue d'économie politique, Dalloz, vol. 129(2), pages 261-286.
    3. Michael Böheim & Dieter Pennerstorfer & Franz Sinabell, 2016. "Strukturanpassung im österreichischen Lebensmittelhandel. Auswirkung auf die Versorgung und wettbewerbsökonomische Implikationen," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 89(3), pages 171-183, March.
    4. Yerzhan Raushanov & Turekhan B. Akhmetov, 2023. "Industrial policy impact on competitiveness of companies and sustainable development in post-communist Kazakhstan," RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA', FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 0(1), pages 167-186.
    5. Lloyd, Tim & McCorriston, Steve & Zvogu, Evious, 2015. "Common Shocks, Uncommon Effects: Food Price Inflation across the EU," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 212055, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    6. N. N., 2016. "WIFO-Monatsberichte, Heft 3/2016," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 89(3), March.
    7. Tim Lloyd, 2017. "Forty Years of Price Transmission Research in the Food Industry: Insights, Challenges and Prospects," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(1), pages 3-21, February.
    8. Lucia Rizzica & Giacomo Roma & Gabriele Rovigatti, 2020. "The effects of shop opening hours deregulation: evidence from Italy," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1281, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    9. Romero, Jaime & Cruz-Roche, Ignacio & Charron, Jean-Philippe, 2020. "The myth of price convergence under economic integration: A proposed explanation for the difference in food prices across European countries," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 267-276.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    buying group; market concentration; parent company; price levels; regional Herfindahl-Hirschman indices;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L1 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance
    • L4 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies
    • L8 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation

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