Independent gas stations will now be able to raise fuel prices

29 November 2018

But the position of these stations, this does not improve

Recently signed an agreement on freezing retail fuel prices did not like the oil companies, but they did not have: in case of failure, the government threatened to raise the export duty on oil, which would lead to significant losses. However, the hardest this measure struck at the independent gas stations: they are caught between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, they cannot increase retail prices. On the other, affect wholesale they are also not. Experts predicted that in the current environment independent of the network will be closed in six months or a year. But now there is an alternative: the independent owners of gas stations allowed to raise prices.

On a related agreement with the Federal Antimonopoly service (FAS) reports RBC with reference to the President of the Russian fuel Union Eugene Arcos.

Now, the independent gas stations (i.e. those which are not owned by oil companies have fields and refineries) will be able to raise retail prices to a maximum of 4% relative to retail prices at the pump large companies.

According to the head of the Independent Union of the fuel, (combines independent traders and owners) Pavel Bazhenov, now independent gas stations will be able to increase margins with the same 4-5 % to 8-9 %. That is an average across the country, they can raise the price of 3.49 rubles per liter of AI-92 gasoline and 3.59 ruble per liter of AI-95.

However, owners of gas stations do not hurry to rejoice this seemingly optimistic news. The problem is that if they increase their prices by 4 %, you will lose recent customers. Today, the fuel at such filling station cost a little more expensive than the "brand" that due to objective factors (the need for purchasing fuel on commodity exchanges, the lack of impact on wholesale prices and so on). If companies will take advantage of the new opportunity and will increase the price limit of 4% compared to oil companies, then no one will ride.

"Independent sector once again becomes a stalemate. On the one hand, to operate at the margin of 4% is absolutely impossible. On the other hand, we are not able to keep their petrol stations the prices are higher than oil companies: our clients are leaving to them, we lose fuel sales", — told Pavel Bazhenov.

So the main hope of the independent gas stations — the decline of the stock and the wholesale prices, which will increase the margin without increasing the price tag at the pump.