Retail competition

Wiser, R. Fans,. Porter, K and Houston, A. (1999). Green Power Marketing m Retail Competition An Early Assessment. NREL/TP.620.25939. Golden, CO National Renewable Energy Laboratoty . 

Up to this point, retail supply chains have largely generated greater profit margins through driving out inefficiencies. For example, retailers have pushed the function of maintaining an inventory back onto the vendor or middleman. Vendors, in turn, have required lower prices and faster deliveries from their suppliers. This type of approach has been effective, but for many supply chains there is precious little fat stUl left to cut out of the system. To reach the next level of efficiency, productivity, tmd profitability, a new perspective on what retail competition means wfil have to be adopted. 

McCardle, K., Rajaram, K., and Tang, C.S. Advance Booking Order Programs under Retail Competition. Management Science, 50(5) 701—708, May 2004. 

In combination, the various FERC orders provided the impetus for deregulation in the U.S. wholesale electricity market, and aided in deregulation of state-regulated retail markets. Note that the FERC cannot actually require retail competition, since the retail markets are the purview of state public utility commissions. However, in many states, utility commissions or legislatures have introduced retail competition, in which individual consumers or firms can choose... 

For a review and discussion on the effect of retail competition on supply chain coordination, we refer the readers to Cachon [27]. 

Boyaci, T, Manufacturer-Retailer Competition And Coordination In A Dual Distribution System, Working Paper, McGill University, 2001. 

Colla, E., 2004. The outlook for European Grocery Retailing competition and format development. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 14, 47-69. 

Since 1951, the majority of imported almonds have come from Spain and Turkey. Production of almonds in southern Italy has declined by neatly 50% owing to competition from Spain, the United States, and Turkey. Efforts have been made, however, to expand the ItaUan almond industry (155). The United States is a primary exporter of almonds. Shelled almonds are used primarily by candy manufacturers and nut salters. In-sheU almonds are sold as mixtures of the in-sheU nut through retail outlets. 

Rader, N., and Short, W. (1998). Competitive Retail Markets Tenuous Ground for Renewable Energy. Electricity Journal 11(. )) 72—80. 

Tn the early to mid-1980s, retail gas prices began to rise as the more expensive new gas constituted an increasing percentage of the pipelines average cost of gas. This drove consumer prices above the level that would exist in a competitive market, and demand for natural gas was subsequently reduced as large industrial customers switched to other fuels. Also reducing demand were the Fuel Use Act, which prohibited the use of natural gas as a boiler fuel, increased consen a-tion by residential and commercial customers, warnier-than-normal winters, and an economic recession. 

The electricity mdustiy is m the midst of a transition from a vertically integrated and regulated monopoly to an entity in a competitive market where retail customers choose the suppliers of their electricity. The change started in 1978, when the Public Utility Regulatoiy Act (PURPA) made it possible for nonutility power generators to enter the wholesale market. 

Entry into a true competitive market suggests that the market will resolve all issues created by this move. Supply and demand will likely prevail. Full retail wheeling will introduce issues into utility plan-... 

For gourmet food retail stores, it is important to be aware that there will be strong competition from other premium products being sold. The farmer should also be aware of the customer profile and (by simply looking in shopping baskets) get some idea of current preferences. Not many gourmet food shops or health food stores have fresh meat counters, whereas restaurants require regular supplies of fresh meat. Fresh and frozen meat are two different markets and require different distribution channels. 

The arm s length approach as a result of lack of funding associated with ethical trade, there is only limited use of third-party auditors. However, the partial use of independent auditors does occur mainly within the context of arm s length relationships between retailers, auditors and suppliers. This can be defined as the contractual relations between companies involving competitive bidding and playing-off of suppliers. Weak social ties and detached social relations are characteristic of such relationships (Doel, 1996, 1999). 

As a result, hardware stores and nurseries-the traditional outlets for lawn care products have lost market share in chemical sales-and formulators have come to rely more heavily on a relatively smaller number of larger-scale customers home improvement and mass market retailers. A handful of North American retailers now account for most formulator pesticide sales, and mass sales and bulk wholesaling reduces formulator industry receipts as a result. Ten North American retailers account for 70% of sales from the Scotts Company, for example. Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Lowes, and the recently troubled Kmart provide 60% of sales, with Home Depot alone accounting for 28%. In fact, in 2003 Home Depot declared Scotts partner of the year. Competition among these retailers is intense, however. If any of these customers should falter, formulators will lose important outlets. 

The roadmap has been intentionally represented in terms of prices, because that is what is perceived by the public. This obviously means the expected costs are much lower. If this is the case, the period 2010-20 is when PV electricity will be competitive with retail prices from the grid (starting from the sunniest regions) and peak load generation. Later, the electricity can be competitive at the wholesale level, that is, with all conventional electricity production today. 

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