![]() Instead, it has left a remarkable number of places without a competitive market for even the most basic of daily needs.Įven by the permissive standards of today’s Justice Department, Walmart’s market power is considered extreme. This lax approach was supposed to generate widespread benefits for Americans. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, have given corporations like Walmart a free hand to use their size and financial might to consolidate markets. For nearly four decades, the two agencies that enforce the antitrust laws, the U.S. Our findings illustrate the failure of contemporary antitrust policy. Even by the permissive standards of today’s Justice Department, Walmart’s market power is considered extreme. That’s more than the market share of the next five largest supermarket chains combined. (A complete list can be found in the table at the end of this report.) Nationwide, Walmart captures $1 in $4 that Americans spend on groceries. In 38 of these regions, including in such populous places as Amarillo, Texas, and Bismarck, N.D., Walmart’s share of the grocery market is now 70 percent or more. That’s one in every ten metropolitan areas and nearly one in three micropolitan areas. We found that there are 203 places - including 43 metropolitan areas and 160 smaller “micropolitan” markets - where Walmart captures 50 percent or more of grocery sales. communities, according to our analysis of industry data from the market research firm Chain Store Guide. In fact, it’s typical of a sizable number of U.S. While the level of concentration in Lawton’s grocery market is extreme, the region is hardly an outlier. The area’s remaining food retailers accounted for the rest.) (Country Mart picked up 10 percent, while the two dollar store chains together took in 9 percent. Last year, it captured 71 percent of the $238 million spent on groceries in the Lawton metropolitan area. Today, it utterly dominates the region’s food supply. The chain started selling groceries in this part of Oklahoma 25 years ago. These are poor substitutes for a supermarket, though: they carry only a very narrow selection of packaged items and no fresh produce.Ībsent alternatives, most Lawton residents depend on Walmart. Dollar General and Family Dollar have about a dozen outlets in Lawton. In many neighborhoods, if you don’t want to go to Walmart, the only other option is a dollar store. After that, there’s not much else for groceries. Williams Discount Food has an outlet on the far northeastern edge of the metro, in the town of Elgin, a 20-minute drive from central Lawton. ![]() Country Mart, a local chain, has two small grocery stores, each about a 15-minute drive from downtown Lawton, on opposite sides of the metro area. But beyond Walmart, the pickings are slim. Residents can shop at one of several Walmart stores. Its neighborhoods are dotted with dozens of churches, two mosques, and, for non-believers, a secular society.īut when it comes to another facet of life - buying groceries - the options in Lawton are far more limited. It’s home to three high schools and 18 elementary schools. The community boasts more than 70 public parks. To get all of our latest reporting and research, sign up for our newsletter.īy some measures, residents of Lawton, Okla., enjoy the kind of variety that befits a metropolitan region of 131,000 people. “Walmart’s Death Grip on Our Food System Is Intensifying Poverty.”.One Community Is Showing How to Fight Back.” “Dollar Stores Are Targeting Struggling Urban Neighborhoods and Small Towns. ![]() ![]() They also show that more will be required to fix our broken markets than reforms to merger policy. Our findings provide a stark illustration of the failings of contemporary antitrust policy. In 38 of these regions, Walmart’s share of the grocery market is 70 percent or more. In 43 metropolitan areas and 160 smaller markets, Walmart captures 50 percent or more of grocery sales, our analysis of 2018 spending data found.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |