Due to the fuel delay, service stations say they have lost the charge

In the last four years, service stations across the country lost the equivalent of 5.5 months charge. This was indicated by the last March report prepared by CECHA, the room that assembles the stationers.

Although sales volumes show a slight increase each month, companies in the sector say that not enough to reverse the situation.

“For four years we have been operating in survival mode. First it was the recession, then the pandemic and now an economic context of uncertainty, marked by another rise in inflationthe delay in prices, the shortage of fuel and parities that exceed the ability of the sector to pay ”, warned Gabriel Bornoroni, president of CECHA.

Since the last recession that began in early 2018, the liquid fuel retail market has lost accumulated sales of 8.2 million cubic meters, representing 5.2 times the total volume sold in April 2018, the month taken as a reference.

According to the sector, the delay in oil prices has further exacerbated the situation in a context where the remaining prices of the economy continue to rise. “For example, while super gasoline prices rose 17.5% from June 2021 to March 2022, consumer prices rose 39.7%“, they say, on the basis of official INDEC data.

This evolution of relative prices is caused worse performance of total invoicing of the country’s service stations, measured at constant prices, that is, reducing inflation, compared to sales performance measured in quantity.

In March 2022, Total turnover at constant prices is still 7.7% below the level recorded in March 2018. In these 4 years, the total loss of charge This is equivalent to 5 and a half months of billing, at prices at the beginning of the season.

According to the sales report prepared by CECHA, the total volume of liquid fuels sold in Argentina’s retail channel increased by 5.6% in March 2022, with increases in 23 of the province’s 24 jurisdictions. Compared to April 2018, total sales were 3.2% higher in March 2022, a situation that occurred in 12 of the province’s 24 jurisdictions, with five of them exclusively due to diesel performance.

“Although the statistics show a slight increase in sales, they are not enough for the stations to achieve reasonable revenue. The break-even point of a service station with 2 beach operators per shift, 1 freelancer, 1 shift manager and 1 administrative employee then 305,000 liters, a monthly volume that does not reach 52.8% of the country’s service stations “explanation of the leader.