Asymmetric wholesale prices in the Norwegian grocery market

SNF Cost price seminar at NHH 26 September 2018. Photo: Hallvard Lyssand

27 September 2018 09:38

Asymmetric wholesale prices in the Norwegian grocery market

The Center for Business Economics at NHH invited researchers, policymakers and the actors in the grocery sector to a workshop that took place at NHH on September 26.

Professor Hans Jarle Kind, Cost price seminar, NHH 26 september 2018.
NHH Professor Hans Jarle Kind was among the speakers at the seminar.

In a report written upon request by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Oslo Economics concludes in 2017 that the larger a grocery chain is the better purchasing conditions it achieves from the upstream suppliers. This implies that NorgesGruppen, with a market share of 43.1%, gets better wholesale terms of trade at the “margin” conditions than Coop (29.7%) and Rema 1000 (23.4%). Volume-dependent wholesale prices makes it particularly difficult from newcomers to enter the Norwegian grocery market. The government has asked the Norwegian Competition Authority to follow up with a comprehensive analysis of the issue by October this year.

In connection with this upcoming report, the Center for Business Economics at NHH invited researchers, policymakers and the actors in the grocery sector to a workshop that took place at NHH on September 26.

The workshop was led by Professor and vice-rector Kenneth Fjell. Jostein Skaar (partner Oslo Economics), Frode Steen (CBE and FOOD, NHH), Hans Jarle Kind (CBE, NHH) and Erling J. Hjelmeng (UiO/NHH) contributed with short presentations and input to the general discussion.