a consumer association denounces the “explosive” margins of distributors

The price of fuel is falling everywhere in Europe, except in France, is indignant, Wednesday, May 10, the association Consumption Housing Framework of Life (CLCV), which accuses distributors of having garnered “explosive gross margins” over the past four months, and is calling for a 10-cent drop in prices at the pump.

“Mass distribution and oil groups keep saying that they are committed to purchasing power, it is time for this to be translated into action. The CLCV will not hesitate to seize the competent authorities if the gross margins do not return to normal by the beginning of the summer.she said in a communicated.

Crude oil has been hovering around $70-75 a barrel since early May, prices at their lowest since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.

Based on the “annual averages” for 2018-2021 of the federation of petroleum industries, the CLCV estimates that “gross margin”transportation distribution””, i.e. the difference between the pre-tax and ex-refinery prices, “is generally around 15 cents per litre”.

In 2022, this margin “Falled to very low levels as distributors chose not to pass on the entire sharp rise in crude oil prices following the Ukrainian crisis”recalls the CLCV, stressing that this gross margin “has even been negative in some months”, but that, “Since the start of 2023, this margin has been at an all-time high of over 25 cents per litre”. “It is clear that distributors have been taking very high margins for four months to make up for their losses in the second half of 2022. This catch-up could be agreed on the condition of being assumed transparently”adds the association.

“False controversy”

The Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, reiterated on Tuesday her call for lower prices. “I told the fuel distributors: the price at the pump must reflect as closely as possible that on the international oil markets, which are currently on the decline”, she said on the set of CNews. “I asked fuel distributors last week to pass on the drop in prices at the pump as quickly as possible. There was a first drop. This must continue.” she adds on Twitterwhich aroused the ire of Michel-Edouard Leclerc.

The president of the strategic committee of the E.Leclerc centers judged, on BFM-TV, ” swollen “ that the government is asking distributors to lower their prices, while a “big supplier” such as TotalEnergies, which garners “billions of profits”is not “held” to do. Asked about the CLCV investigation, Michel-Edouard Leclerc also disputed the figures put forward by the association: “It’s delirium, that: at the highest in a Leclerc service station [la marge est de] 8 cents and, on average, it’s 2.5-3 cents. »

Speaking of ” false polemics », Dominique Schelcher, president of System U, denies any change in pricing policy. ” Fuel remains a loss leader on which our margins are low. The gap with other European countries is structural “, he reacts. ” The price excluding tax includes the price of the product on the international market, but also includes regulatory obligations that are not taxes (…) The last element to take into account is the disruption of the supply chain following the strikes: the recovery has been very gradual. However, during this time, we imported foreign products that were significantly more expensive on the international market. »

TotalEnergies has limited fuel prices in its stations to 1.99 euros, from 1er March to December 31, except for 98 unleaded gasoline and Excellium diesel. With the end of the rebates granted by the government, the price of fuel had started to rise again since the beginning of the yearan increase that goes badly with motorists, especially after the announcement, on February 8, of record profits of 19 billion euros.

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The World with AFP


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