Austria: High level of concentration

The concentration in Austrian retailing is continuing on a very high level, as the market research company Regioplan has recently discovered. In five out of eight sectors the market concentration of the Top 5 comes to over 70 per cent, and to as much as 90 per cent in three of the sectors. The researchers established a market share of 89 per cent for the five best-performing DIY retailers in 2004, compared with just 79 per cent in 2002. This means that the DIY stores occupy second position alongside grocery retailing, and directly behind the sports goods trade (92 per cent).