Fuel will be sold there at cost starting Friday, September 29.
In three months, prices at the pump have literally soared. A liter of Sans-Plomb 95 today costs 1.94 euros on average in France. A liter of diesel is now sold at the same price (1.94 euros) after having increased by almost 25 cents since the beginning of July! If TotalEnergies has decided to extend beyond 2023 the blocking of its prices below 2 euros for most of its fuels, this is not enough to calm the discontent of many French people.
In this difficult economic context, “fuel at cost” operations practiced by large retailers are increasing. Often offered on weekends, they allow motorists to make some savings since on these days the brands offer their fuel without making any margin on their purchase price. After Casino and Leclerc, which have carried out several operations in recent weeks, another major distributor will take the plunge: Intermarché.
The establishments of the Les Mousquetaires group will offer all their fuels at cost price on Friday September 29 and Saturday September 30. With no less than 1,800 Intermarchés located throughout France, it will not be too difficult for a large majority of French people to find cheaper gasoline for 48 hours. The major brand does not stop there since it has already communicated the dates of other operations between now and the end of the year.
With these operations, how much savings will you really make by going to the gas pump on these specific dates? Concretely, given the low margins available to large retailers on fuel prices, prices at the pump experience fairly minimal reductions during these operations. Given that the distributors’ net margin on the price per liter is around 2 cents, the saving on a 50 liter tank is equivalent to around 1 euro. Not enough to jump to the ceiling.
On the other hand, these cost-price operations could well become the norm in the weeks and months to come. In any case, this is the government’s desire. After the flop of the request made to large retailers in mid-September to sell their fuels at a loss, Emmanuel Macron revised his copy. On Sunday September 24, during the 8 p.m. news on TF1 and France 2, the President of the Republic urged major brands to sell their fuels at cost price. While waiting to know their positions, major distributors, like Intermarché now, will continue targeted operations. So keep an eye on the calendar and note the dates above to make (small) savings at the pump!
