The fuel market continues to experience significant strain, and Assopetroli-Assoenergia is sounding a major alarm regarding the trends that are penalizing independent fuel retailers throughout Italy.
According to a press release dated April 3, 2026, a growing market distortion is taking place, with increasingly severe economic and reputational consequences for independent operators, who find themselves competing under highly disadvantageous conditions.
Fuel Prices: When the Retail Price Is Lower Than the Wholesale Price
In recent weeks, a particularly critical situation has emerged: in several cases, the prices charged at the pump by the leading vertically integrated operator are actually lower than the wholesale prices reserved for the independent network.
This scenario effectively makes competition impossible for mid-tier distributors, who cannot sustain sales prices lower than their procurement costs.
This is not a normal competitive dynamic, but rather a genuine artificial compression of margins—attributable to “margin squeeze”—that distorts the proper functioning of the fuel market.
Independent Distributors Sidelined: Risk of a Monopoly
The problem becomes even more serious in areas with a high concentration of supply, where the market risks approaching de facto monopoly conditions.
In these situations:
- operating margins become unsustainable
- the independent network loses competitiveness
- market pluralism is reduced
- the risk of smaller operators being excluded increases
The economic sustainability of independent distributors is thus severely compromised.
Reputational Damage for Gas Station Operators
In addition to the economic aspect, Assopetroli-Assoenergia highlights an even more sensitive issue: reputational damage.
When extraordinary commercial initiatives are launched that cannot be replicated by the independent network, the end consumer perceives a significant price difference without understanding its true causes.
The result is that many independent station operators are mistakenly viewed as:
- less competitive
- too expensive
- even speculative
while the true source of the imbalance remains hidden.
This causes two types of damage:
- economic, due to squeezed margins
- reputational, due to a loss of customer trust
Dear Fuel and Unfair Competition
Even during an emergency caused by high fuel prices, the Association believes that commercial policies that profoundly alter the competitive balance cannot be justified.
Extraordinary measures may be necessary, but they must not become practices that permanently compromise the functioning of the market and the survival of the independent network.
The risk is an increasingly unbalanced supply chain:
- upstream, with price dynamics detached from actual market fundamentals;
- downstream, with the effects passed on to less well-structured operators.
Possible Abuses of Dominant Position
Assopetroli-Assoenergia believes that current developments may constitute abuses of a dominant position, with exclusionary effects on independent distributors.
The issue therefore becomes not only economic, but also political and institutional: a healthy market cannot exist if a portion of the operators is structurally unable to compete.
The Request to the Competent Authorities
For this reason, the Association is calling for an urgent review by the relevant authorities to ensure that market conditions are restored that are:
- transparent
- sustainable
- non-discriminatory
- truly competitive
Only through clear rules and effective oversight will it be possible to protect the network of independent gas stations and ensure a more balanced fuel market for operators and consumers.
For those working in the fuel retail sector, staying informed about these developments is essential to addressing market challenges and offering customers a competitive, fair, and transparent service.
