Approaching anxiety level. Transferred a barrel of Brent which stops growing due to production cuts in OPEC countries, gas station prices are rising rapidly. Until that SP95-E10 approaches the fateful threshold 2 €/l!
Major brands distribute fuel at cost
This is a serious time because discontent is growing. To show it is struggling, the government is holding more crisis meetings with industry players. The goal is to find levers to relieve the pressure. THE discount return mentioned by Xavier Bertrand? Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire will sweep tomorrow. On the other hand, he himself asked Total to extend the price freeze to €1.99/l in 2024. This measure, which has been in effect since March, was inexpensive for the oil company, but today it is very useful, especially on the highways, where the stamp is the cheapest on average. However, it is difficult to be happy at such a price for fuel… But what about other distributors? Not everyone has such striking power In total lower prices, and even less for independents, much more fragile than mass distribution. In fact, they can afford to take a cut of their profits to encourage you to stock up on them before you go shopping. as? Thanks to fuel at cost. Its principle is simple: it reflects the cost of fuel for the station plus its transport minus the margin… Which, as we shall see, turns out to be symbolic.
Reduction of room for maneuver
Leclerc this summer on weekends U system AND Intermarché punctual and now shops Casino (until October 22*), fuel discounts are increasing. If brands announce them with great fanfare, promising significant savings, their reality is much more measured. Thanks to Carbu.com’s exclusive reports, we have established the real profit from these trades: on average 3.5 cents/l for SP95-E10 AND 3.6 cents/l for diesel.
There are around 1.70 euros for a 50 liter tank! And you don’t have to hope for more. Legally, distributors do not have the right to sell at a loss. They can only reduce their margin! The rest of the price, which includes the purchase of fuel and its transportation, does not depend on them. In a word, in the absence of blackbirds and waiting for better days, we will have to settle for this.
* From Friday to Sunday in 80 hypermarkets (except E85 and GPL).
Symbolic economies
Carbu.com provided us with average prices set by several brands the day before and on the same day of their recent run.price“. This allowed us to calculate the actual profit expected on the invoice. To estimate the actual gift given by the brands, we calculated the difference in prices observed from one day to the next, taking into account the “natural” change in fuel prices at that time.
Result: 3-4 cents per liter. It is small, but it allows these big stores to stand out from the competition. On a full tank scale, the savings are not incredible: at best €1.90 for 50 liters of SP95-E10 and €2.20 for diesel. Logically, prices increase the day after the operation. However, according to our observations, the increase sometimes occurs gradually. Perhaps, in order not to “rob” motorists who could not take advantage of the discount the day before…
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Source: Auto Plus
Robert is an experienced journalist who has been covering the automobile industry for over a decade. He has a deep understanding of the latest technologies and trends in the industry and is known for his thorough and in-depth reporting.