Vertical relations, pass-through, and market definition: Evidence from grocery retailing

B-Tier
Journal: International Journal of Industrial Organization
Year: 2021
Volume: 74
Issue: C

Score contribution per author:

0.402 = (α=2.01 / 5 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We examine how different pass-through rates from input prices to retail prices and different vertical contracts affect upstream market definition. Simple theoretical considerations suggest that vertical restraints induce higher pass-through rates and thus lead to a larger upstream market definition when compared to linear wholesale pricing, given that contracts with linear pricing are associated with lower pass-through rates under imperfect competition. Data from grocery retailing is used to quantify the empirical implications of our theoretical assertion. We find that resale price maintenance leads to larger upstream market definitions than linear pricing. We therefore advise competition authorities to carefully model vertical market structures, whenever they expect incomplete pass-through to be important.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:indorg:v:74:y:2021:i:c:s0167718720301168
Journal Field
Industrial Organization
Author Count
5
Added to Database
2026-01-25