THEY’RE TAKING US FOR FUELS
Stores in petrol rip-off
Supermarkets are hiking fuel prices just before announcing cuts – so drivers think they are getting a bigger bargain, it was claimed.
Their petrol stations regularly put up the price of a litre by about a penny then bring it down by 1p or 2p days later.
The “stage- managed” rises happen despite falling wholesale prices and amid a fierce forecourt price war.
A litre of unleaded petrol at Sainsbury’s in Tonbridge, Kent, rose 1p from 120.4p to 121.4p a litre on April 25 before falling 1.5p to 119.9p three days later.
But since mid-April, the wholesale price fell nearly 6p a litre from 112.2p to 106.8p. And last night a fuel campaigner accused the retail giants of profiteering.
Fair Fuel UK founder Howard Cox said: “Drivers are oblivious to being hoodwinked by eye-catching price cuts at supermarkets after recent stage-managed fuel hikes. Hard-working families and small businesses are being ripped off at the pumps yet again.
“We urge the Chancellor to consider the murky world of pump pricing.”
A three-month survey of 100 forecourts owned by Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons – plus Shell, Gulf and Esso – found a pattern of supermarkets hiking petrol and diesel prices before “making a larger perceived price reduction.”
The British Retail Consortium said: “Prices are predominantly driven by the world price of oil.”
Asda said: “We consistently offer drivers the lowest fuel prices nationwide. We aim to be the first retailer to drop prices and the last to put them up.”