Supermarkets are set to be instructed to stop hiking fuel prices at the pumps during an industry summit this week.
Grant Shapps, the Energy Secretary, will demand retailers such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s take action after drivers paid 6p more for a litre of fuel last year.
A recent Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) report found that supermarkets’ annual fuel margins rose from 4.6p per litre in 2019 to 10.8p last year as they failed to pass on profits amounting to £900 million in extra costs last year.
Seriously, sod off. We have a market economy. The limitation on what the supermarkets can charge for petrol is what everyone else is charging for petrol. Unless you’ve evidence of collusion – which you don’t for if you did you’d be trumpeting it – you get to fuck off out of it.
I used to shop around for petrol, but as I now don’t fill up so often, I can’t be bothered. I buy at my Tescos ‘cos it is next to the motorway junction. It’s competition is a very popular BP station opposite ( that sells M&S food ).
Did you see the story in the Tele that Natural England are going to block housung developments that don’t have low traffic neighbourhoods ? What housing crisis ?
Yes, thinking of using that as the start of my ASI piece for tomorrow…..insanity.
Well locally we’ve found that the smaller outlets – I nearly wrote “independent” but they are franchises for the large companies – are cheaper than ASDA, and by a significant amount. So we don’t fill up as ASDA now and our local smaller outlet wins. Nowt wrong with that.
Our supermarkets have been expensive but not significantly out of line with other filling stations. Surprisingly the cheapest is an Esso on the A12. We’ve just been in Kent and prices there are a few p more than the cheapest in our part of Suffolk.
Esso Synergy Supreme. Not worried about the cost, just don’t want the plastic and rubber destroyed by ethanol.
There is a small filling station near us that has been consistently cheaper than the supermarkets for ages now. So much so that you often have to queue to fill up there.
Also agreed, the government should keep their interfering noses out of it. Of course that statement applies to almost everything else too.
I think one of the major supermarkets should be nationalised. That would show these bloated capitalists how to run a business.
I mean, what could possibly go wrong? I’m sure Noone would mind going on a waiting list for petrol or a tin of beans.
Isn’t the Government the biggest profiteer on fuel prices? For zero input they collect whatever fraction of the price paid I can’t be bothered to look up …
Maybe the government could collect less tax and duty
Y’know, cost of living crisis , all jn together etc
Pretty sure that unleaded prices were in the £1.90/litre range for some of 2022.
So the % profit climbed but not as much as basing it on ppl.
And sales dropped at the higher price level, so total profit up but not as much as using ppl would lead you to believe.
Now back below £1.45 in most places.
That ‘temporary’ 5p CO2 tax cut is due to go back on in March 2024. But there’s an election due so it won’t.
c’mon Bongo.. There’s nothing as permanent as a “temporary tax”…
Those things have a habit of even surviving the heat death of the universe.
I think Bongo means it won’t until after the election Grikath.
Boganboy, you think the election result would matter in this?
There’ll be an excuse to keep it, or it’ll be rolled into “new, better, fairer, more comprehensive/inclusive Green Taxation”.
For Gaia.
Let Shapps run one. Give him the capital to get started. I reckon he’d be out of business in 6 months.
It’s a really hard business. Most of the money is in the shop. It’s a “cinema popcorn” business (there must be a proper term for this). You come for the fuel but leave with a very expensive ginsters. Supermarkets are more about getting you to shop at Tesco because you can do food and petrol in one hit.
Our car is diesel. We drive low milages so we want to buy fuel that contains plenty of the detergents and so on that help keep the engine clean. (Or so we tell ourselves anyway.) Is there any particular brand anyone here recommends?
– Maybe the government could collect less tax and duty
This should be the media response every time one these repulsive* twats try and blame retailers for inflation.
But the media are lefties, so . . .
*Shapps does have a particularly stampable face.
c’mon Bongo.. There’s nothing as permanent as a “temporary tax”…
Bongo was referring to a temporary tax cut.
We have a market economy. The limitation on what the supermarkets can charge for petrol is what everyone else is charging for petrol.
Your describing what happens in times of stable prices, when people have reference points of what they think prices should be. In times of high inflation, that breaks down. Is where you’re going cheaper or dearer than the competition? Your reference point was last week, but what’s the price there now? Competition’s a nice idea but there’s effort needed to benefit from it. In times of fast moving prices the effort can become greater than the benefits.
Good God, BiS, there’s a website that tells you where your cheapest local petrol is on sale.
There’s another for which supermarket is cheapest for your favourite beer or chocolate or whatever.
Last night our cheapest handy supplier for Hoegaarden was Asda. Just now for Ritter Sport Dark Hazelnut Chocolate it’s Morrisons. Until we reach Weimar rates of inflation such websites will be useful (for those who can be bothered).
dearieme: throughout all the years I’ve been buying motor fuel I’ve always gone for the cheapest (Jet @ 6/8 a gallon in 1969 when I started). I’ve never had a problem with it – petrol or diesel except the one time we got a shitty batch that clogged the fuel filter. You could always stick in Redex or the diesel equivalent from time to time.
The website is petrolprices.com.
I read somewhere that part of the legislation will be to compel retailers to publish their prices to a central system (petrolprices.com relies on volunteers submitting prices). I’m quite in favour of this sort of government intervention, given it’s assisting the market. But not anything beyond that.
@Bloke on M4 – “You come for the fuel but leave with a very expensive ginsters”
Not since they started pushing pay at pump.
Pay at the pump seems like madness to me, other than perhaps for supermarkets where they hope people are just on their way to the main store, given the model that these places work on. Knew someone whose family fortune came from the things, and yes it works on the basis BoM4 said.
I’m surprised more of them don’t also run loo facilities for motorists that can only be accessed via walking through the shop. Motorists do need a pitstop from time to time and that would be a good opportunity to waft the smell of food at them. Have noticed more of them running a cafe/takeaway style sideline and the scent tactic is definitely effective if you’re peckish.
Not since they started pushing pay at pump.
There’s a small fuel station in my town that is entirely pay-at-pump. There’s no shop, no human, card only, in and out (24hrs, I think). It seems competitively priced, so there is money in fuel sales alone. Just a short drive from the motorway; I bet they promote it on the various maps and apps.
@PJF
I have used an unsupervised petrol station like that so they do exist. Guess cameras suffice to catch non-payers and there’s no cash to nick. Wondered what would happen if there were an accident though – given the potentially dangerous substances you’d think someone was expected to supervise. Think someone filling a container and spilling it – normally someone would have to come and make it safe, maybe close that bay off for a while. Also PITA for those disabled people who usually honk their horn to get an employee to pump for them.
“Shapps does have a particularly stampable face.”
He’s not in the Jeremy Hunt/Matt Hancock/Michael Gove Premier League tho…….
Anon @ 8:05
Try any motorway service area in Italy!
As for prices Morrisons in Yeovil is several pence cheaper than Morrisons in Wincanton.
Is Shapps a Labour MP? Seems like one
Few days ago on 7 mile trip drove past 3 Petrol Stations
Tesco 144.9 ; Asda 144.4 ; Shell 148.9
Shell was on busy main road roundabout. A & T in more residential areas
Sinse ~2005 anyone can use petrolprices.com Or google petrol prices
Cut the Tax Mr Shapps, in US highest price is ~89p / litre
@Anon – “Guess cameras suffice to catch non-payers”
I assume they all work by requiring you to have inserted a payment card before they will dispense fuel. I have never seen any that you could use without payment being enforced that way.
He’s not in the Jeremy Hunt/Matt Hancock/Michael Gove Premier League tho…….
Strangely, the one who really induces bile for me is Justin Trudeau. There’s something so utterly vile about him; like a distillation of every disgusting evil politicians can muster. Yet he’s almost nowt to do with me. Oh, Canada.