London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Era of cheap supermarket fuel has 'gone' as chains battle rising costs

Era of cheap supermarket fuel has 'gone' as chains battle rising costs

An industry source tells Sky News that supermarket chains are investing in keeping the cost of essentials in check as they, and the public, battle the highest pace of price increases seen for decades.

Motorists should not expect to see a return of supermarkets using cheap fuel to lure in shoppers, an industry source has told Sky News.

They spoke out after weeks of criticism from motoring groups and fuel price campaigners that supermarket petrol stations are failing to reflect plunging wholesale fuel prices.

Data supplied by the AA and RAC has consistently shown costs for unleaded and diesel becoming cheaper at many independent forecourts, with supermarket fuel at around average or just below average levels.

They argue the sector should be leading the way on fuel prices due to its bulk-buying power, after Brent crude oil nudged levels not seen since January on Tuesday.

The pair are pushing their case at a time when the industry regulator is investigating British fuel price behaviour.

RAC fuel spokesman, Simon Williams, said: "There is yet more pressure on the biggest fuel retailers today to pass on savings to drivers as the price of oil has dipped below $80 for the first time since the start of the year causing the wholesale cost of petrol to tumble to 105p a litre and diesel to 119p.

"If a cut of at least 10p a litre doesn't come soon it will be yet more evidence of 'rocket and feather' pricing for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to take note of.

"The disparity between average pump prices at 158p for petrol and 182p for diesel and their wholesale equivalents is truly shocking.

"Even taking account of major retailers' buying cycles, we can see no justification for them not cutting their prices significantly."

Supermarkets have historically charged around 3.5p per litre less at the pump than the UK average.

Fuel was effectively subsidised as part of the big four chains' efforts to grow their respective grocery market shares.

But that changed last year when COVID pandemic restrictions ended and oil prices shot up - pushed even higher this year by the effects of the war in Ukraine.


The market, particularly for diesel, has been distorted by the war in Ukraine and the West's sanctions on Russia

The source suggested that the increased costs that supermarkets were grappling, largely linked to the war, meant they were now more focused on delivering value in areas other than fuel to keep essentials down in price as much as possible.

They said that, as a result, fuel was no longer a loss leader and pre-pandemic pricing behaviour was "gone".

Oil prices have generally fallen back since July though diesel costs have remained elevated, relative to unleaded, because of Europe and the UK's past reliance on imports from Russia.

The CMA's investigation into British fuel prices, started during the summer, has been widened after it found evidence of so-called 'rocket and feather pricing' - when prices are quick to go up but slow to ease.

Andrew Opie, director of food & sustainability at the British Retail Consortium which represents supermarkets, told Sky News last month: "Retailers understand the cost pressures facing motorists and will do everything they can to continue to offer the best value-for-money across their forecourts, passing on cost reductions as they feed through the supply chain."

Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said of the recent oil price falls: "The shivers of apprehension about the prospects for the world economy pushed oil prices to their lowest point in a year, with the benchmark Brent Crude dropping to $79 a barrel.

"Prices have edged up very slightly on the latest zero-COVID easing moves from Beijing, but worries about weakening global demand as recessions are predicted, are still set to limit gains.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
×