Buyer Power and Competition in European Food Retailing

‘The authors are to be congratulated on tackling a difficult and extremely important topic in such an authoritative way. The empirical evidence they present and analyse on concentration amongst large retailers in the European food industry is likely to remain a prime source of reference for subsequent researchers for a very long time. In addition, the framework they develop to analyse ‘competitive’ issues in the sector will, probably, find its way into future antitrust investigations.’

- Michael Utton, University of Reading, UK

In this book, leading experts in the field examine the effects of the recent growth in concentration in the European food retailing sector. In particular, the book develops a number of buyer power propositions and builds on the previous work of several of the authors, to consider how the growth of large supermarket chains affects competition in food retailing. The authors outline the theoretical and policy analysis underpinning the work and assess evidence on the size and growth of supermarket chains across the EU. While not entirely critical, they suggest that there is strong evidence in some countries that supermarkets use their buying power to impose unfair terms and conditions on suppliers, particularly affecting small suppliers.

The authors use case studies, to provide an in-depth analysis of four European countries, namely France, Germany, Spain and the UK. The book ends with a discussion of policy issues against a backdrop of likely future trends in concentration in this area.

Academics working in the areas of microeconomics and industrial economics as well as those involved in European competition policy more generally, such as lawyers, civil servants and consultancy groups, will find this volume enlightening.