What will really be the impact of selling fuel at cost on the fuel bill? The day after the government’s announcements concerning “nearly 120,000 operations” until the end of the year, major retailers have warned: the rating will not drop much. The sale of fuel “at cost” decided with the government on Tuesday will represent “one to two euros per full tank” of gasoline, its representatives estimated on Wednesday.
“There will be a small impact but it will be slight,” declared on RTL the general director of Système U, Dominique Schelcher. The Carrefour and Leclerc brands have committed to selling fuel “at cost” every day, Casino, Cora and Intermarché will sell it two weekends per month, Système U and Auchan at least one weekend per month. “Making cost price here is not going to be spectacular since we are already at low prices all year round,” according to Dominique Schelcher who estimates that this represents a drop of “one or two cents per liter, that means a full euro.
“Our margin is 2 to 3%, so it’s 2 to 6 cents per liter,” or “one or two euros per full tank” of gasoline, Michel-Edouard Leclerc, president of the strategic committee of the Leclerc distribution group. Selling at “cost price” “is a choice that our members made, it was not the public authorities who imposed this choice on us, we proposed it to Élisabth Borne,” he said. Tuesday evening, at the end of the meeting between the government and representatives of the sector, the government congratulated itself on having “moved the lines”. “It’s a real effort,” according to Michel-Édouard Leclerc, “the fuel is 10 billion in turnover.” “Certain stores make 30% of their turnover with fuels,” he said, estimating that “refiners must put their hands in their pockets”, particularly for the networks of independent stations. There will be “a meeting point every month, including with the public authorities, we want the oil companies to participate,” he said.
Dominique Schelcher also announced “an impactful operation for purchasing power” in Système U stores from October 20 and 21. “We are going to give 10% (discount) on all food in our stores, beauty products, drugstores, every 15 days”, until the beginning of December, he announced. This operation does not include alcohol and requires “carrying the store card”, he clarified.