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Making profits by leading retailers in the digital transition: A comparative analysis of Carrefour, Amazon and Wal-Mart (1996-2019)

Author

Listed:
  • Céline Baud
  • Cédric Durand

    (UNIGE - Université de Genève = University of Geneva, CEPN - Centre d'Economie de l'Université Paris Nord - UP13 - Université Paris 13 - USPC - Université Sorbonne Paris Cité - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract
This contribution documents the contrasting fate of three key actors of the retail industry since the mid-nineties: Carrefour, Wal-Mart and Amazon. Stylized facts about their respective financial trajectories and a description of their engagement with digitalization allow to identify their distinct dynamics. Through a combination of accounting, business and economic analyses, this paper clarifies the underlying logics of profit making in the context of retail digitalization and provides new insights concerning the role of fixed costs leveraging in the digital age.

Suggested Citation

  • Céline Baud & Cédric Durand, 2021. "Making profits by leading retailers in the digital transition: A comparative analysis of Carrefour, Amazon and Wal-Mart (1996-2019)," Working Papers hal-03332318, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-03332318
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-03332318
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    File URL: https://hal.science/hal-03332318/document
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cédric Durand & Wiliiam Milberg, 2020. "Intellectual monopoly in global value chains," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(2), pages 404-429, March.
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    13. Cédric Durand & Neil Wrigley, 2009. "Institutional and Economic Determinants of Transnational Retailer Expansion and Performance: A Comparative Analysis of Wal-Mart and Carrefour," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 41(7), pages 1534-1555, July.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Retailing; digitalization; financialization; profits; accounting JEL codes: L81; L22; M41; D22; G32;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting
    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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