the gas station market | France

1.1 Definition and scope of the study

There are two types of networks in France:

• The traditional networks: oil groups, independent distributors, independent outside the network.
• Mass retail networks: hypermarkets, supermarkets, etc

On a global scale, the market depends largely on oil prices and the choice of distributors to reflect oil prices evolution in their prices. Thus, in 2019, distributors have largely benefited from the almost 30% increase in black gold prices. Conversely, the 2020 Covid pandemic shook the gas station market, with populations forced to stay put and oil prices falling by 20%.

According to the UFIP, fuel distribution at gas stations decreased by 2.5% in France in 2018. On the other hand, if the volumes of diesel sold are decreasing, those of gasoline are increasing.

There were 11,068 gas stations in France in 2018, 4 times less than in 1980, while the real estate stock has almost doubled . Three factors explain this evolution: regulations, upgrades to environmental safety standards and the growth of mass retailing on the market, which now represents half of the stations and will achieve, in 2020, 62% of sales in volume of fuels.