Supermarkets and their impacts on the agrifood system of Brazil: The competition among retailers

This article proposes an explanation for evidence that challenges the received knowledge in relation to the advance of large supermarket chains in the Brazilian food market. It was thought that the large, more efficient chains would eliminate the traditional stores and the smaller supermarkets as well, based on price competition. However, the evolution of the food retail structure in Brazil shows growth in the number of traditional firms and independent supermarkets in the last nine years, with little evidence of loss of importance in food sales, especially as to the independent supermarkets whose share in food sales has grown. [EconLit citation: L100, L130, Q130.]