Distributors play the game: Serge Papin says more than half of stations have cut diesel prices

The drop in diesel prices promised by the government from November 1 is gradually spreading to service stations. Guest of RTL this Monday, Serge Papin was pleased to see that “the distributors are playing the game”. “Today, more than half of the stations have lowered prices by 12 to 18 cents, so the vast majority of French people have access to a price that has fallen,” assured the Minister of Commerce and SMEs.

The government announced in October that diesel prices would fall by 12 to 18 cents for consumers from November 1 thanks to the sale at cost price to distributors of barrels from strategic stocks. Some distributors, however, complain of not having benefited from these clearances at the same time as supermarkets or TotalEnergies. “Strategic stocks were given priority to the largest” and “we are taking time to release them for the smallest, which will further delay the application in stations, particularly rural ones, of these 12 to 18 cents” reduction, regretted Francis Pousse, of the Mobilians network, which represents independent service stations in particular.

Serge Papin reminded him that a zero-interest loan had been put in place to support the cash flow of small stations and help them implement the price reduction as quickly as possible. Sunday openings made easier for traders The minister also confirmed that he would "request this week that the prefects can use a decree" allowing traders to work three additional Sundays in order to compensate for the losses suffered during the last weekends of demonstrations. “We can go further than these three additional Sundays but this will be the subject of negotiations with the unions and employers’ organizations,” added Serge Papin.

And the minister also recalled that mayors can already, according to the law, authorize the opening of businesses 12 Sundays per year.

Machine-translated from French