The Retail Trade Sector and the Food Industry in Italy

Abstract

In this collection of papers we first analyze the evolution of the Italian food industry and the retail trade sector during the past decade (Chapters 1 and 2). Chapter 3 describes the structure of large retailers and buying groups in Italy. Chapter 4 proposes alternative measures of the degree of concentration of retail trade at the local level. Chapter 5 summarizes the main features of national and local regulations governing retail trade and proposes a set of indicators of regional liberalization. We then examine the relationship between large retailers and small firms in the Italian food industry, with a brief account of possible effects on the industry’s structure and on prices (Chapter 6), and the effects of local retail trade concentration on product variety and price rigidity (Chapter 7).

Keywords: retail trade sector, market concentration, price dynamics, buyer power, buying group

JEL Classification: L81, L11, L51