"A study of competition in the UK petrol and diesel market by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has concluded that little action is needed.
"The evidence gathered by the OFT suggests that at a national level, competition is working well in the UK road fuel sector," its report said.
The report found that before tax, the UK has some of the cheapest road fuel prices in Europe."
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21258809
Clearly, the little cartel that operates in Aylesbury between Tesco, BP, and Texaco has gone un-noticed. It's cheaper for me to fill up at a motorway service station on the way home than at Tesco.
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Hmm, FF, interesting.
Yet, I often find that the petrol stations near Handycross (on route home from work) are cheaper than those at home in North London.
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Usual BBC calculator, according to which my last fill means I pay "£1.70 more than average for your country" (that being something called "United Kingdom", which I don't believe to be a country, but anyway).
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21238363
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Based on filling a 65litre tank with diesel at 140.9 (141) I'm paying 68p more than average. In Leicester at 138.9 (139) I'd pay 62p less
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"In Leicester at 138.9 (139) I'd pay 62p less "
And Leicester (Sains at Fosse Park) is 3p a litre cheaper than Loughborough Sains. Worth doing shopping their rather than Lough if you need to fill up!
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>> Clearly, the little cartel that operates in Aylesbury between Tesco, BP, and Texaco has gone un-noticed
ISTR it's the case that garages' company policy dictates their forecourt prices according to nearby competition - certainly Shell and Esso will match any supermarket within 1 mile and any mainstream fuel retailer within 3 miles. That would explain the low prices at Fosse Park where there is an Asda, who charge the same price across all their forecourts nationwide.
Are there no other filling stations within a 3 mile radius of those in Aylesbury?
Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Wed 30 Jan 13 at 19:00
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I always fill up in Shell - the only exception is when Tesco run a Promo - stil got a giant stack of bog rolls and orange juice from the last one !
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stil got a giant stack of bog rolls and orange juice from the
>> last one !
>>
Pity it wasn't prune juice, you'd have used 'em both up by now. ;-)
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If our government had some backbone they would have weekly price reports like these.
www.aip.com.au/pricing/facts/Weekly_Petrol_Prices_Report.htm
Note how the retail price tracks the wholesale price.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 30 Jan 13 at 22:11
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>Note how the retail price tracks the wholesale price.
In a sawtooth form with a steeper leading edge than trailing.
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At least they are published weekly, freely available, in a consistent form which can easily be understood. And the local radio stations transmit the local petrol prices as they change.
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A Petrol Retailers' Association spokesman said last night that the wholesalers have put up prices by 7p a litre since Christmas.
He added that the oil companies assure the PRA that there is no shortage of fuel in the UK and no reason for prices to go up (there are serious claims of speculation being bandied about). He also said that it's likely to mean that many more independent fuel retail outlets are likely to close down at an even faster rate...:-(
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The UK petrol market leaves me bemused.
Today, I filled up in Downham Market in a dirty little Jet garage at £1.26.9 litre. No competition around.
Round my way its £1.32.9, with lots of competition. I know Tesco fixes the price round here, because all its 4 local outlets go up and down at exactly the same time. Regardless of how much they paid for the fuel actually in the garage tanks. A local cartel is definitely happening.
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>> The UK petrol market leaves me bemused.
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You obviously do not shop in supermarkets then..
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The competition thing works in funny ways with supermarkets. There's no doubt the sector is intensely competitive, but that doesn't equate to thin margins as basic economic theory suggests it should.
In fact there's no point in trying to get more business by knocking a penny off say, Heinz beans, because every competitor will then do the same thing.
Lots of effort goes into tactical and sometimes slightly dodgy promotions though - when I see the Maurice Chevalier or whatever champagne at Tesco go up a fiver, I know we are in for a half price promotion.
Not surprisingly they do it with petrol too. When Tesco does a 5p off promo on fuel, in goes up 2p beforehand and takes all the others with it. As I don't qualify for the promo I have to search further afield to get a good price.
I can't explain though why there are high priced pockets in sometimes very urban areas. The cheapest nearish here is always Garston, where Asda, Sainsburys & Shell are currently all 137.9 for diesel. Aylesbury OTOH is 2p-3p dearer and was even before FF moved there with all his money), excepting the Esso in Princes Risborough at 138.9.
On my recent trip to Jockland I made sure to fill at Carlisle in both directions - half a mile off the A74, four stations as cheap as Garston.
But why is Birmingham dearer than those two?
Nothing cheers a Yorkshireman of course like saving £1.50.
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But why is Birmingham dearer than those two?
Ever met a Brummie? That's your answer.:-)
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UK petrol market "working well" - Londoner
