Claire Chambolle

Growers vs. Merchants Bargaining on the Price of Champagne Grapes and The Role of Contracts when Bargaining is Unbalanced

The contract between growers and merchants for the exchange of grapes on the Champagne market is a long-term agreement based on quantities. Commitments on quantities are made for several years and negotiated individually between growers and merchants. Each year, prices are negotiated at the interprofessional level, the interprofessional committee including members of the growers union, members of the merchants union and a government commissioner. It turns out that industrial organization theory, and more precise mechanisms outlined by incomplete contract theory are relevant to the analysis of such contracts in which prices and quantities are negotiated sequentially and by different groups of actors. We show that imposed pricing by the interprofessional organization can, in some cases, balance the bargaining power between growers and merchants and thus increase social welfare. At a time when the European Common Organization of Wine Markets casts doubt on interprofessional organizations, this result tends to justify their positive role. (JEL classifi cation: L42, L50)

Optimal production channel for private labels: : Too much or too little innovation?

We analyze the impact of the private label production channel on innovation. A retailer may either choose to integrate backward with a small firm (insourcing) or rely on a national brand manufacturer (outsourcing) to produce its private label. The trade-off between insourcing and outsourcing strategies is a choice between too much or too little innovation (i.e., quality investment) on the private label. When insourcing, an outside-option effect leads the retailer to overinvest to increase its buyer power. When outsourcing, a hold-up effect leads to underinvestment. In addition, selecting the national brand manufacturer may create economies of scale that spur innovation.

Stratégies de revente á perte et réglementation.

We study price competition on a homogenous good market between a hypermarket and a small shop. The hypermarket also offers another independent product whereas the small shop is assumed to be geographically closer to consumers. We show the existence of an equilibrium where the hypermarket resells at a loss the good that the small shop does not offer. A loss leader banning law may in such a context lower consumerssurplus. We further explore some implications concerning French regulation by competition authorities.