Parts of the United States government seem to think that retail stores getting bigger, something they need to do in the face of online and direct-to-consumer competition, counts as a monopoly.

In reality, many brick-and-mortar spaces can support one major and some minor ones. Barnes & Noble survived because Borders went out of business, while Dick’s Sporting Goods has been more successful since Sports Authority closed down.

Best Buy might have struggled if Circuit City had stuck around longer.

Monopolies are not defined by store type. Dick’s Sporting Goods ( DKS ) buying Foot Locker will mean that one less company sells sneakers. It also means that many Foot Locker locations will continue to operate, and Dick’s will have another weapon in the fight against Amazon and online retail

See Full Page