Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
We use Danish microdata for the period 1999 to 2008 to examine how greater consumer goods imports affect retail market performance and structure. Based on a propensity score matching approach, we estimate that retailers that start to import have 8% greater sales, 6% greater profits, and 2% greater markups in the year of import initiation compared to non-importing retailers. These differences are quite persistent. For instance, we estimate that cumulative sales of import starters are up to 30% higher on average after three years than for comparable non-importers. We also find that imports are associated with a higher exit probability of small retailers and greater local retail market concentration. We argue that the observed adjustments may imply additional gains from trade absent from models lacking a distribution sector.