Store Vs. National Brands: A Product Line Mix Puzzle

This paper examines retailers' strategic decisions about store brand introduction when each retailer can stock a limited number of brands. The different product line mix equilibria depend on demand parameters that measure the cross-effect across national and store brands and the cross-effect within each brand type, thus leading to a simple testable implication. Store brand introduction is determined by the combination of the three effects that result from replacing a national brand by a store brand; the direct effect, the exclusivity effect and the in-store effect. Interestingly enough, we identify conditions under which similar retailers take different decisions concerning their product line mix.