Initially, distributors pledged to reduce their gross transport/distribution margins by more than 25 cents per litre of fuel at the start of summer 2023, responding to pressure from the government and consumers.
However, the CLCV notes that these margins increased again in November, with the margin for SP95 gasoline reaching 26 cents per litre and diesel at 22.2 cents per litre in January. This surge contrasts with the 2018-2021 annual averages of around 15 cents reported by the federation of petroleum industries.
Based on data from the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the CLCV asserts that these heightened margins are unacceptable. In 2022, distributors maintained low margins due to their decision not to fully pass on the rise in crude prices following the Ukrainian crisis.
Despite the recent decrease in prices at the pump, driven by falling barrel prices, the CLCV believes that this decline could have been more pronounced had distributors maintained reasonable transport/distribution margins.
The association calls on distributors to honour their commitment to avoid excessive margins and suggests reducing margins by approximately 5 to 8 cents per litre.
Furthermore, the CLCV highlights significant disparities in the cost price operations conducted this fall. Major retail brands and discounters of oil groups lowered their prices by 3 to 6%, whereas oil tanker brands offered much higher prices without significant reductions.
