The end of high margins at gas stations. Unimot reveals who will be affected by the government's new package

The president of the management board of Unimot, Adam Sikorski, positively assesses the entry into force of the CPN package – the reduction of VAT and excise duty and the setting of the wholesale price will be a plus for the fuel wholesale segment, while setting the maximum retail margin will have a negative impact on the AVIA segment, because the currently set ceiling of PLN 30 is lower by approximately PLN 10 than the margin set in the Unimot budget for this year.

In the latest recording, Adam Sikorski commented on the current situation on the Polish and global fuel market, especially the impact of the “Cena Paliwa Lower” fuel package adopted on Friday, March 27, on the Unimot Group.

According to the information provided by the president, we should see the effects of reducing the VAT rate on fuel from 23 to 8%, as well as reducing excise duty by over PLN 300, at gas stations on Tuesday, because from Monday fuel operators are obliged to report current prices to the Ministry of Energy by… 9.00.

Therefore, since Friday, there has been a clear decline in issues at terminals, as operators are waiting for a lower excise tax, which is charged at the time of purchasing fuel and collecting it from the terminal. As Adam Sikorski pointed out, however, this is a postponed purchase, because once the excise tax is reduced, operators will start withdrawing fuel from terminals on an ongoing basis.

The president assessed that the regulations introduced would help stop the already observed decline in consumption, and the scope of the package introduced on Friday should stimulate the market. As he noted, the Polish economy does not operate in isolation from world markets, and the Monday market in Asia has already opened and there are visible increases compared to Friday's quotations – a barrel of oil is at the level of USD 115, a barrel of American WTI oil is over USD 100, and the price of diesel oil on the markets is around USD 1,500.

President Sikorski pointed out that it may turn out that these mechanisms reducing prices on the Polish market will soon be offset by prices on world markets and the assumed reduction will not reach the target level of PLN 1.2, but it will certainly be significant, especially in the first days.

Adam Sikorski assessed that the new fuel package will mostly have a positive impact on the main business segment of the Unimot group, i.e. wholesale, while in one aspect it will have a negative impact on the retail segment, i.e. the AVIA gas station network.

The CEO estimates that setting the maximum margin at PLN 30, with the assumed margin at approximately PLN 40, may cost Unimot approximately PLN 3 million per quarter, or approximately PLN 1 million per month. He also emphasized that Unimot currently has approximately 150 gas stations under the AVIA brand, of which approximately 50 belong directly to Unimot and approximately 100 operate in the franchise model, so franchise partners will also feel this. He noted that this will certainly be more noticeable for larger players in this market.

“The impact of national regulatory changes on the Unimot group – despite the pressure on margins – will remain limited thanks to the diversification of the company's operations. We hope that we will make up for these losses by achieving higher results in other business segments,” said Adam Sikorski.

At the same time, he pointed out that the regulations are fresh and does not rule out that there may be some modifications in response to market opinions resulting from their application in practice.

“We can expect prices at gas stations to flatten and this is an absolute novelty on the Polish market. The current wording of the act also assumes that premium fuels will be subject to a maximum price, which may result in the price of premium fuel being equal to the price of standard fuel,” he added.

The president of Unimot also referred to the situation on global markets and pointed out that there is still a “fight for the barrel” because ships that were supposed to go to Europe are going to Asia and South Africa, which offer a higher purchase price. (PAP Business)

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