I am only a humble stockbroker, but I would suggest that if the conclusion of this NIESR report is built on the proposition that ASDA is a better retailer than Tesco, then it is built on sand. I also dispute whether Walmart really delegates more autonomy to local plants than Carrefour, and I know quite a bit about both companies.

(related to which, there is a good John Kay bit on the fact that it is probably no coincidence that the two industries which account for the majority of the US/EU productivity differential are also the two industries in which productivity is most difficult to measure. In both financial services and retailing, it is very easy to mistake "lower value-added" for "higher productivity"; a Bond Street boutique could certainly increase its measured productivity by getting rid of the dollybirds and the free coffee, for example)