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Spatial Competition in the French Supermarket Industry

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  • Stéphane Turolla

Abstract

This paper challenges the conventional wisdom of a competitive grocery retail sector in France. To measure the intensity of competition in this sector, I develop a structural model of spatial competition that accounts for (i) market geography on consumers' preferences, and (ii) differences in their shopping list. The demand estimates are used to recover stores' price-cost margin under alternative pricing strategies. I select the best pricing model by applying non-nested tests and show that retailers noticeably distort their offer in highly concentrated markets. Retail competition in the French supermarket industry appears to be highly localized in that margins are very sensitive to the presence of a competitor within a few kilometers. Finally, I perform counterfactual experiments to quantify the expected gain of an additional store on consumer welfare and retail prices,

Suggested Citation

  • Stéphane Turolla, 2016. "Spatial Competition in the French Supermarket Industry," Annals of Economics and Statistics, GENES, issue 121-122, pages 213-259.
    • Handle: RePEc:adr:anecst:y:2016:i:121-122:p:213-259
    DOI: 10.15609/annaeconstat2009.121-122.213
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    Cited by:

    1. Marie-Laure Allain & Claire Chambolle & Stéphane Turolla & Sofia Villas-Boas, 2013. "The Impact of Retail Mergers on Food Prices: Evidence from France," Working Papers hal-00920460, HAL.
    2. Alban Thomas & Claire Lamine & Benjamin Allès & Yuna Chiffoleau & Antoine Doré & Sophie Dubuisson-Quellier & Mourad Hannachi, 2020. "The key roles of economic and social organization and producer and consumer behaviour towards a health-agriculture-food-environment nexus: recent advances and future prospects," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Springer, vol. 101(1), pages 23-46, October.
    3. Marie-Laure Allain & Claire Chambolle & Stéphane Turolla & Sofia B. Villas-Boas, 2017. "Retail Mergers and Food Prices: Evidence from France," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 65(3), pages 469-509, September.
    4. Timothy J. Richards & Gordon J. Klein & Celine Bonnet & Zohra Bouamra-Mechemache, 2020. "Strategic Obfuscation and Retail Pricing," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 57(4), pages 859-889, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Spatial Competition; Structural Model; Discrete Choice Model; Differentiated Products; Supermarket Industry.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C35 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce

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