Inter-War Changes in Gasoline Distribution: A U.S.- UK Comparison

Producers might permit products to reach ultimate users by whatever routes happen to emerge and might be indifferent o the prices charged at various tages of the distributive process. However, the many disadvantages of such a strategy bring attempts to control both the distributive structure and the prices charged ultimate users. Different control mechanisms were chosen by oil companies in the UK and in the United States. The success of control efforts in each country can be traced in part to differences inpolitical and legal environments, but the different control mechanisms in turn brought differences indistribution structures that had a profound impact on the nature of competition.