The product market power of major customer firms and their suppliers’ performance

Abstract

We find that when a major customer has greater market power in its industry, its supplier firm exhibits better performance. The effect of the major customer’s market power on its supplier’s performance is more pronounced when the economic bonding between the customer firm and the supplier is stronger, when the customer firm is geographically closer to its supplier, and when the relationship between the two firms matures. Furthermore, we document that a customer firm’s product market power increases demand stability for its supplier, reduces the supplier’s cost of debt, and improves the supplier’s investment efficiency.

Keywords

• Customer–supplier relationship
• product market power
• firm performance