The Ministry of Energy does not want to ban the sale of alcohol at stations and is concerned about the increase in fuel prices

The Ministry of Energy does not want to ban the sale of alcohol at gas stations because it is afraid of an increase in fuel prices – wrote the head of this ministry, Miłosz Motyka, in his opinion on the draft law banning the sale of alcohol, among others. at gas stations.

The Ministry of Health is consulting on a project banning the sale of alcohol at gas stations.

According to the data of the Ministry of Finance, there are approximately 8,000 companies operating in Poland. gas stations, of which 5.5 thousand has an alcohol license. Compared to all alcohol sales points, of which there are approximately 119,000 in Poland. the share of gas stations is approximately 4.6 percent, while the sale of alcohol products at gas stations is approximately 2 percent. global sales.

“Closing the alcohol sales channel at stations will probably redirect these sales to other nearby alcohol sales points. This raises doubts from the perspective of equal treatment of entrepreneurs and the principles of free competition – such a regulation interferes with the zone of freedom of only one group of entrepreneurs,” wrote Motyka.

The Minister points out that the costs of running a gas station are higher than the costs of running a regular store, which is why the margins on many non-fuel products are correspondingly higher to cover operating costs and generate a profit. This also applies to alcohol, which is much more expensive at gas stations than in discount stores or hypermarkets. The share of alcohol in sales at gas stations ranges from 6 to 12 percent. – its importance for the profitability of individual sales points is disproportionately large.

“The ban on the sale of alcohol at gas stations will probably translate into a transfer of the margin to other products, including liquid fuels, which in practice may result in an increase in fuel prices in the country,” Motyka wrote.

“Some gas stations may have difficulties in setting a competitive fuel price that will also ensure an adequate margin. This may have a significant impact on the profitability of stations, which often struggle with problems related to obtaining negligible or marginal margins on fuel sales. A partial reduction in sales at gas stations may result in a decline in revenues and, consequently, even disruption of the profitability of gas stations as a whole, in particular those run by independent operators of gas stations operating in smaller towns, of which there are approximately 2.2 thousand.” – writes Motyka.

The Minister points out that it is also important that maintaining the profitability of gas stations in Poland currently requires diversified operations based on the convenience store model.

“In addition to economic factors, such as rising labor and energy costs, the regulatory environment also remains a major challenge for gas stations. Recently, gas stations were obliged to introduce E10 gasoline, which required appropriate logistics and staff preparation. New tasks also included preparing the business for the implementation of the National e-Invoice System, or adapting to the new deposit system for used beverage containers,” says Motyka.

“The challenges in the near future also include the gradual reduction in the consumption of traditional traction fuels in favor of alternative fuels (RED II and RED III Directives) and the EU ETS2 system, which, by extending the emission trading system to include road transport, will increase the final price of motor gasoline, diesel oil and LPG offered at filling stations,” he adds. (PAP Business)

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