Exit and Upgrading in Response to Entry: The Case of Gasoline Retailing

Spatial competition models have established the importance of localized competition in determining competitive outcomes. However, few empirical studies attempt to determine to what extent actual local market conditions affect strategic decisions. This paper uses data provided by the acquisition of the Vancouver area Super-Save chain of retail gasoline stations by ARCO to study the role of geographic space in competition, and the spatial response of the major competitors in the market to entry. The possibility of both accommodating and aggressive capacity responses by the major incumbent firms to entry are considered. While the empirical results show that proximity to ARCO increased the probability that a station shuts down, proximity to ARCO can explain only a limited amount of shutdown after ARCO's entry. There is no evidence that incumbent firms used station locations and capacity changes to respond aggressively to ARCO's entry with a spatial predation strategy.