Productivity growth in retail

Retail is playing an increasingly important role in our modern economies and its contribution to productivity growth is often debated. This is particularly interesting in light of the ever-current issue of differences in economic growth between Europe and the United States. The overall purpose of this project was to study productivity, retail store dynamics and competition in Swedish retail. The introduction of new technology has been a key trend in trade over the past decade. Together with the establishment of new companies and the exclusion of companies, investments in new technology are often considered to be a central factor in the development of productivity in a market. It is also a well-known fact that there are differences in productivity levels between companies in the same market. The project touched on how productivity can be measured at store level, and shed light on the underlying factors for productivity growth. What characterizes stores with high and stable productivity? What is the significance of new establishments and the exclusion of stores for productivity? The results provide an increased understanding of what drives productivity growth in retail and its role for the Swedish economy as a whole.