Homes across the country have embraced Chip and Joanna Gaines. Their Magnolia empire contains everything from the popular show and subsequent spin-offs of “Fixer Upper,” Magnolia line of home décor, a hotel, and even a shopping area known as the Silos. While consumers appear more than happy to buy into all the offerings of the Magnolia lifestyle brand, lawmakers and agencies have set their sights on targeting the very business models that make it all possible.
Successful businesses exist in various market structures with some being limited to one line of commerce while others encompass multiple segments of the economy. Market structures also vary by their impact, with similar structures yielding different results depending on the company and market characteristics. However, the adoption of the 2023 Merger Guidelines suggests that antitrust enforcement will increasingly focus on structure, rather than impact.
This represents a potential loss for consumers, especially as some of the structures that have spurred consumer-favorite brands become the focus of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Read the full Real Clear Markets article here.
Tirzah Duren is the Vice President of Policy and Research at the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit educational and research organization. You can follow her on Twitter @ConsumerPal.