Parliament of Australia:Senate:Committees:Joint Select Committee on the Retailing Sector:Fair Market or Market Failure? A review of Australia's retailing sector

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Fair Market or Market Failure? A review of Australia's retailing sector

August 1999

View the report as a single document - (PDF 1398KB)

View the report as separate downloadable parts:


Terms of reference	(PDF 9KB)

Membership of the Committee	(PDF 12KB)

Executive Summary	(PDF 43KB)
Market share Market cap Strengthening the Trade Practices Act Retail Industry Ombudsman Code of Conduct Summary

Abbreviations	(PDF 7KB)

Recommendations	(PDF 17KB)

Chapter 1 - Reasons for the inquiry	(PDF 31KB)
Background Previous inquiries

Chapter 2 - The retailing sector	(PDF 117KB)
Overview Grocery retailing Brief history Present day market structure The major chains Woolworths Coles Franklins The independent retailers National Association of Retail Grocers of Australia The wholesalers Davids Limited Australian Independent Wholesalers Foodland Associated Limited Differences between the major chains and the independent sector

Chapter 3 - Main contentions	(PDF 101KB)
Retailers National Association of Retail Grocers of Australia (NARGA) Other independent retailers Woolworths Coles Franklins Wholesalers Davids Limited Foodland Associated Limited Primary producers NSW Farmers Associated South Australian Farmers Federation Queensland Fruit and Vegetable Growers Other organisations Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association Coalition Against Major Chain Dominance Australia Consumers' Association Consumer Food Network Government organisations Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Office of Small Business

Chapter 4 - Market share	(PDF 47KB)
Market definition National Association of Retail Grocers of Australia Woolworths Franklins Coles Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Australian Bureau of Statistics

Chapter 5 - Use of market power	(PDF 237KB)
Background Market cap Divestiture Creeping acquisitions Manufacturers and trading terms Primary producers and supply contracts Capital Rent Electricity and EFTPOS Access to new sites Access to new product lines Employment Social impacts Corporate benevolence

Chapter 6 - Misuse of Market Power	(PDF 73KB)
Predatory pricing Unconscionable conduct

Chapter 7 - OECD Comparisons	(PDF 97KB)
Background Concentration and regulation in OECD economies Canada United States United Kingdom France Germany Netherlands Belgium Scandinavia Southern Europe Japan New Zealand Overall regulations across OECD economies Overall trends across OECD retailing sectors

Chapter 8 - The Future of the Retailing Sector	(PDF 33KB)
New entries Wal-Mart Aldi Developments in Retailing Petrol Caltex Mobil Woolworths Banking Technological developments Electronic Commerce and the Internet

Supplementary remarks to the report by Senator Andrew Murray: Australian Democrats	(PDF 64KB)

Supplementary remarks to the report by Senator the Hon Ron Boswell: Leader of The National Party of Australia in the Senate	(PDF 9KB)

Appendix 1 - Conduct of the Inquiry	(PDF 12KB)

Appendix 2 - List of Submissions	(PDF 61KB)

Appendix 3 - List of Additional Information	(PDF 13KB)

Appendix 4 - Witnesses at Public Hearings	(PDF 36KB)

Appendix 5 - Australian Bureau of Statistics Special Data Service Report*	(PDF 329KB)

Appendix 6 - Time Line of Retail Grocery Trends	(PDF 11KB)

*Appendix 7 - House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology - Report: Finding a balance towards fair trading in Australia, May 1997 - Recommendations*	(PDF 40KB)

*Appendix 8 - Productivity Commission - Draft Report: Impact of Competition Policy Reforms on Rural and Regional Australia, May 1999 - Comments relating to the retailing sector*	(PDF 19KB)

Appendix 9 - Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory Select Committee on Territory Prices - Report: Price, Quality and Choice: Striking a Fair Balance, Vol. 1, August 1999 Terms of Reference, Summary of Findings and Summary of Recommendations	(PDF 37KB)

*Appendix 10 - Industrial Commission of NSW - Report upon matters relating to the Management, Control and Operations of General Chain Stores in NSW, August 1939 - Terms of Reference*	(PDF 10KB)

Appendix 11 - Senate Select Committee on the Socio-Economic Consequences of the National Competition Policy - Terms of Reference and Executive Summary from the Interim Report: Competition Policy: Friend of Foe - Economic Surplus, Social Deficit?, August 1999	(PDF 29KB)

Appendix 12 - Small Business and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission	(PDF 24KB)

*PDF Format Only

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