Buyer and seller power in grocery retailing: evidence from Italy

This work investigates the effect of upstream and downstream mar- ket concentration on retailers’ price-cost margins using bimonthly data over the period 1989–1992 disaggregated by retailer type and product. In addition to horizontal concentration, differentiation, and cost factors, the analysis includes buyer power amongst the determinants of retailers’ profitability, as a result of vertical bargaining. Using a fixed effects model in first differences we find evidence of bargaining activity between large chains and food manufacturers. Our analysis of price competition at the retail level also reveals some interde- pendence in the pricing decisions of the largest retail organisations and price leadership by large independent shops. ******************************************************************************************************************* Este trabajo investiga los efectos de la concentración de mercado upstream y downstream sobre el margen precio-costo de los minoristas usando datos bimestrales durante el período 1989–1992 desagregados por tipo de minorista y producto. Adicionalmente a la concentración horizontal, la diferenciación y los factores de costo, el análisis incluye el poder del comprador entre los determinantes de la rentabilidad de los minoristas, como resultado de la negociación vertical. Usando un modelo de efectos fijos en primeras diferencias, encontramos evidencia de actividad de negociación entre las grandes cadenas y los productores de alimentos. Nuestro análisis de la competencia de precios al nivel minorista también revela una cierta interdependencia en las decisiones de fijación de precios de las organizaciones minoristas m´as grandes y liderazgo en precios por parte de las grandes tiendas independientes.price-cost margins, vertical bargaining, price competition, Italiangrocery trade, panel data

A rough examination of the value of gas storage

This paper studies the impast of a fire in 2006 which removed the possibility of access to the Rough gas storage facilities covering 80% of total UK storage, at a time when major withdrawals from storage would likely have taken place. Implicitly, it shows the value of such storage facilities, in a country with relatively little storage, where we might therefore see a considerable impact. We find that the major effect on activity was through an increased sensivity of supply to prices and an increased variance in this sensitivity, not through plysical shortages of gas

Redundant regulation? : competition and consumer choice in the residential energy markets

The UK energy regulator has recently removed price controls from about 40% of residential energy users, and plans total deregulation of the gas and electricity markets by 2002, relying instead on general competition policy to protect consumers. We examine responses to a specially commissioned survey of over one thousand consumers, to identify determinants of consumer choice between suppliers. We conclude that there are substantial switching costs which seem higher for more vulnerable groups. By assessing the savings which consumers require to switch supplier, we deduce that the incumbent retains considerable market power, suggesting that some continued regulation may be necessary

Pricing behaviour under competition in the UK electricity supply industry

This paper investigates the evolution of electricity prices for domestic customers in the UK following the introduction of competition. The empirical analysis is based on a panel data set containing detailed information about electricity supply prices over the period 1999 to 2006. The analysis aims to test theoretical hypotheses about the nature of consumers’ switching and search costs. The econometric analysis of persistence and price dispersion provides only limited support for the view that the market is becoming more competitive and also indicates that there remain significant potential benefits to consumers from searching alternative suppliers

Testing for Seasonal Unit Roots in Heterogeneous Panels

This paper uses the approach of Im, Pesaran and Shin (2003) to propose seasonal unit root tests for dynamic heterogeneous panels based on the means of the individuals HEGY test statistics. The standardised t-bar and F-bar statistics are simply averages of the HEGY tests across groups. These statistics converge to standard normal variates.Heterogeneous dynamic panels ; Monte Carlo ; seasonal unit roots

A Rough Examination of the value of gas storage

This paper studies the impast of a fire in 2006 which removed the possibility of access to the Rough gas storage facilities covering 80% of total UK storage, at a time when major withdrawals from storage would likely have taken place. Implicitly, it shows the value of such storage facilities, in a country with relatively little storage, where we might therefore see a considerable impact. We find that the major effect on activity was through an increased sensivity of supply to prices and an increased variance in this sensitivity, not through plysical shortages of gas.

Price transmission in the UK electricity market : was NETA beneficial?

This paper explores the relationship between domestic retail electricity prices in Great Britain and their determinants in the particular context of the New Electricity Trading Arrangements (NETA) introduced in 2001. The analysis requires a consistent comparison of wholesale power price series before and after NETA, which we investigate using a range of wholesale future price series. Despite its stated intention of reducing prices, we conclude that the net effect of NETA alongside other developments instead merely rearranged where money was made in the system.Electricity generation ; electricity supply ; retail pricing ; futures markets ; energy market competition

Testing for unit roots in three-dimensional heterogeneous panels in the presence of cross-sectional dependence

This paper extends the cross-sectionally augmented IPS (CIPS) test of Pesaran (2006) to a three-dimensional (3D) panel. This 3D-CIPS test is correctly sized in the presence of cross-sectional dependency. Comparing its power performance to that of a bootstrapped IPS (BIPS) test, we find that the BIPS test invariably dominates, although for high levels of cross-sectional dependency the 3D-CIPS test can out-perform the BIPS test.Heterogeneous dynamic panels ; Monte Carlo ; unit roots ; cross-sectional dependence

Testing for stationarity in heterogeneous panel data in the presence of cross section dependence

The panel variant of the KPSS tests developed by Hadri (2000) for the null of stationarity suffers from size distortions in the presence of cross section dependence. However, applying the bootstrap methodology we find that these tests are approximately correctly sized.Heterogeneous dynamic panels ; Monte Carlo ; bootstrap ; unit root tests ; cross section dependence.

Testing for seasonal unit roots in heterogeneous panels using monthly data in the presence of cross sectional dependence

This paper generalises the monthly seasonal unit root tests of Franses (1991) for a heterogeneous panel following the work of Im, Pesaran, and Shin (2003), which we refer to as the F-IPS tests. The paper presents the mean and variance necessary to yield a standard normal distribution for the tests, for different number of time observations, T, and lag lengths. However, these tests are only applicable in the absence of cross-sectional dependence. Two alternative methods for modifying these F-IPS tests in the presence of cross-sectional dependency are presented : the first is the cross-sectionally augmented test,denoted CF-IPS, following Pesaran (2007), the other is a bootstap method, denoted BF-IPS. In general, the BF-IPS tests have greater power than the CF-IPS tests, although for large T and high degree of cross-sectional dependency the CF-IPS test dominates the BF-IPS test.Panel unit root tests ; seasonal unit roots ; monthly data ; cross sectional dependence ; Monte Carlo