Downstream/upstream competition and products meaning

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Margin squeeze Margin squeeze is a form of exclusionary behaviour aimed at rivals, intended to remove them or undermine their viability—either by driving them from the market or by deterring entry at the outset. Where a vertically integrated firm holds a dominant position in an upstream market for a vital input and also supplies that input to wholesale customers who compete at retail, it can have both the means and the incentive to exclude those competitors from the downstream market. The dominant firm compresses retail rivals’ margins by setting a high wholesale charge, a low retail price, or a mix of the two, thereby narrowing the gap between the cost of essential inputs and the price attainable in the retail market. Consequently, the spread between the dominant undertaking’s retail price for the product or service and the wholesale price it levies on its rivals is insufficient to allow an efficient retail rival to compete effectively. This weakening of effective competition downstream can, in turn, result in higher prices, diminished...

Aftermarkets Aftermarkets matter greatly to producers of sophisticated technical equipment and to businesses following a ‘razors and razor blades’ commercial model. Competition concerns in aftermarkets are not limited to a single sector. While many disputes feature the technology industry, similar issues have appeared across a broad range of other fields. a primary product (eg equipment, hardware or software), and an aftermarket good or service (eg parts, repair services, or software support) The decisive arena is the downstream aftermarket, which frequently delivers highly profitable, repeat revenues coveted by proprietary equipment manufacturers as a way to recoup significant research and development spend. Independent service organisations (ISOs) and other third parties offering rival aftermarket goods or services often clash with manufacturers. Producers may seek to avoid enabling ISO competition, while ISOs operating solely in the aftermarket may view competition from manufacturers as unfair. For instance, manufacturers may try to withhold from ISOs either aftermarket products (eg spare parts and consumables) or essential tools...