This dissertation aims to understand commercial relationships between suppliers and buyers within value chains. This applied research focuses on the agri-food sector using theoretical and empirical tools. The three chapters analyze value chain relations from downstream to upstream.The first chapter is a theoretical model which analyzes the impact of purchasing alliances on the variety of products sold by supermarkets. The two waves of purchasing alliance creation in France in 2014 and 2018 have motivated the writing of this chapter. These purchasing alliances are set up by retailers to negotiate their supplies with their suppliers jointly. Alliances created in 2014 consist of purchasing cooperation limited to national brands generally offer...