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McLean Communications Ltd. uk independent fuel retailers losing out Government taxes and Supermarket prices are said to be having an affect on Britain’s small fuel station owners, with claims that one a day is going out of business. Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons have this year embarked on a campaign to attract hard-hit consumers and the cost of fuel has been central to their campaign. Morrisons offer loyalty points on its fuel card while Asda has a price comparison app for mobile phones to convince shoppers it has the cheapest fuel. Both Sainsbury’s and Tesco have offered money off to shoppers. Sainsbury’s has offered 10 p off a litre in return for a minimum spend in its shops. Now the Retail Motor industry Federation is hoping for a major review by the office of Fair Trading (oFT) into fuel prices at the pump, something for which it has been lobbying for months. There are now about 8 000 small petrol retailers compared with 21 000 two decades ago and 40 000 in 1966. The RMi predicts that in five years there will be only 1 200 supermarket and major oil company fuel stations left. it seems the oFT has certainly taken on board some of these concerns. But latest news, events, jobs online – www.PetrolPlaza.com NEws – EuROPE many have also blamed the Government and hikes in fuel tax for soaring prices. it takes 60 percent of every litre of petrol in tax – the highest rate in Europe. luxemburg is the least taxed at just 47 p a litre. The oFT inquiry comes at a time when the supermarkets have proved particularly effective at building up a huge stake in the £ 32 billion fuel market. And with the recession dragging on, households are keen to save even one or two pence a litre, particularly those families whose livelihoods depend on the use of a car. Supermarkets last year accounted for 45 percent of total fuel sales from just 1 316 sites compared with 37.4 percent in 2010 according to the Energy institute and market analyst Experian Catalyst. in this period, Tesco, which has 493 outlets, has consolidated its position as the leading fuel retailer, with 15.5 percent of a market in which petrol sales are falling and diesel demand growing. According to a web price comparison site which collects its information from drivers using fuel cards, there is huge regional variance of fuel prices as well as differences between stations run by the same firm. DCC approved for ‘tOtaL’ takeover Sales, marketing and distribution group DCC has been given the go ahead by the Competition Commission to proceed with the purchase of ToTAl’s uK distribution assets. “We welcome the Competition Commission investigation into DCC’s acquisition of former ToTAl oil distribution business and its conclusion that the acquisition will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in the oil market in Britain”, said Tommy Breen, Chief Executive at DCC. “We believe the findings of the final report are very positive for the future growth and development of DCC’s oil distribution business and, in particular, our strategy to further increase the scale of our business in Britain”, he added. INa eyes OMv petrol stations in Croatia Hungarian fuels group Mol may be forced to sell its chain of Tifon gas stations in Croatia to comply with competition law. The Zagrebbased company will wait for the decision of the competition regulator. on September 5, iNA submitted a binding offer for oMV’s gas stations in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. oMV, central Europe’s biggest oil company, has 63 stations in Croatia and 28 in Bosnia. Mol holds a 47.47 percent stake in iNA, while the government owns 44.84 percent. oMV has announced officially that there are four competitors vying for its network of filling stations: Croatia’s iNA, Russia’s Zarubezhneft, an Arab investment fund and an unnamed bidder. The price is around 100 million euros. Esso upgrades fuel to improve performance Esso uK has updated its petrol and diesel fuels with enhanced additives that, the company said, can help provide improved engine responsiveness and clean vital engine parts when compared to standard fuels. The majority of Esso’s 900-strong network of fuel service stations will now carry the fuels, which are designed to improve performance by removing harmful deposits from petrol intake valves and diesel fuel injectors. “Esso is committed to continuous improvement to enhance the quality of our fuels, addressing evolving engine technology and consumer needs”, Karen Dickens, uK and ireland Fuels Marketing Director, said. “We are proud of our latest generation of Esso energy fuels which can help improve fuel economy and engine responsiveness, protect against engine corrosion and clean vital engine parts.” To promote the new fuels, Esso uK has established a dedicated website at www.fuelprogress.com. it also plans a major promotional campaign including advertising and PoS materials. 3