Spatial retail markets with multiplant firms and conjectural variations are analyzed in this paper. In this context, the interplay between commuting characteristics and concentration is discussed, leading to an empirical test for the effect of those variables on retail beef prices. Commuting characteristics are found to have a significant effect on prices.
Results strongly suggest that structure in narrow retail markets affects price.
In this paper prices of clothing and household furnishings are explained using market concentration of department stores and commuting variables. The concentration variable has a strong effect on prices of both product types. The commuting variables only affect furnishings prices, a result that is in keeping with expectations.