Fuels: Coopérative U disputes distribution margins and refers the matter to the refiners

On BFMTV, Dominique Schelcher pulled out his calculator and his killer argument: at supermarket gas stations, "it's an activity where you don't make any money." According to the head of Coopérative U, distributors' margins amount to "one, two, or three cents per liter," squeezed by competition between chains and by drivers who compare prices, monitor them, and go for the cheapest option. The message is clear, almost defiant: the price increase at the pump is not going to be a windfall for supermarkets.

Facing the government, tensions are rising. Dominique Schelcher accuses the government of making retailers "scapegoats" at a time when the state is trying to reduce household bills. He is targeting a draft decree submitted on April 13 to the National Consumer Council, which would cap profit margins above a certain price level. Roland Lescure, the Minister of the Economy, indicated that nothing has been finalized at this stage, a sign that the issue remains politically sensitive.

The battle over cents, the decree, and responsibilities

Schelcher, for his part, is betting on a quiet burial: the text is a "bureaucratic nightmare" with no tangible effect for the consumer. His reasoning rests on a simple idea, almost intuitive when you watch the electronic price displays change from one day to the next: if the retail margin is minimal, you have to look further up the chain. He therefore points the finger at the refiners, citing TotalEnergies and talking about "room for maneuver" in refining. He also brings up, as a damning example, a past transaction by the group, mentioning a capital gain of one billion dollars after the purchase of seven oil tankers at the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East.

In this tug-of-war, each side is pushing the other towards the exit. Dominique Schelcher is calling on oil companies to sell "a little cheaper" so that the price reduction is tangible at the pump. The French government, for its part, has already asked the European Commission to examine refinery margins in Europe and verify the absence of "abuses," against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions. Meanwhile, SP95-E10 has dipped slightly below €2 per liter, a fragile respite that suggests one thing: the next price surge is never far away.