Dissapearance of forecourt names (Topaz purchase of Esso Ireland)

Jimmy Bottles

So, it looks as if yet another big name is going to exit Ireland with Topaz to purchase Esso Ireland (save a reprive from the mergers commission).

Have to say, its sad to see yet another familiar name go. Off the top of my head, Texaco (Chevron) are the only Supermajor operating garages in the ROI. It wasn't that long ago that we had Shell and BP in Ireland. Hell, even the Statoil name was an internationally known brand.

Will this reduction in named brands create a fall in competition. I really don't like the fact that Denis O'Brien will now have 30% of the market with this purchase.

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/energy-and-resources/topaz-confirms-esso-ireland-acquisition-1.2036020

woody33

I wonder will there be a fall in fuel quality?

Drummerboy08

woody33 wrote: »

I wonder will there be a fall in fuel quality?

Why?

woody33

I had the impression some people rated Esso higher than some other brands. More power or MPG due perhaps to the additives? Discuss...

Jimmy Bottles

woody33 wrote: »

I wonder will there be a fall in fuel quality?

All the fuel in Ireland is produced at Conoco Phillips' refinery at Whitegate. There is essentially no difference between petrol and diesel at different forecourts. Not sure those additives make much difference.

Topaz claiming that their fuel is "clean" is the biggest horsesh*t ever.

Frankie Lee

More stations to be boycotted now. Good news for Maxol.

gesler

Topaz fuel always runs out quicker for some reason,

Bpmull

Jimmy Bottles wrote: »

All the fuel in Ireland is produced at Conoco Phillips' refinery at Whitegate. There is essentially no difference between petrol and diesel at different forecourts. Not sure those additives make much difference.

Topaz claiming that their fuel is "clean" is the biggest horsesh*t ever.

There no issue with the fuels coming from white gate. It's all the sh!t each brand add to make more on the fuel such as kerosene etc in some places. That and then the physical conditions the fuel is kept in during storage in the petrol station. How old it is how much corrosion had taken place in the tanks leading to contamination of the fuel. So yes all fuel is the same when it leaves white gate but it can be very different by the time it gets to your car depending on where you buy it.

bazz26

Plenty of smaller ones have popped up in the last number of years too.

Amber,
Applegreen,
Top,
Inver,
Great Gas.

Jimmy Bottles

Bpmull wrote: »

There no issue with the fuels coming from white gate. It's all the sh!t each brand add to make more on the fuel such as kerosene etc in some places. That and then the physical conditions the fuel is kept in during storage in the petrol station. How old it is how much corrosion had taken place in the tanks leading to contamination of the fuel. So yes all fuel is the same when it leaves white gate but it can be very different by the time it gets to your car depending on where you buy it.

Yes, but why is Topaz's fuel so much cleaner than everyone elses. Its all horsesh*t from Topaz.

Bpmull

Jimmy Bottles wrote: »

Yes, but why is Topaz's fuel so much cleaner than everyone elses. Its all horsesh*t from Topaz.

Well they do supposedly add additives to the fuel whether that's true or not I don't no. I only buy topaz or esso fuel solely because I get the best mpg out of them meaning there the best fuel to me but I don't buy from them because of any of there advertising crap tbh.

michael999999

woody33 wrote: »

I wonder will there be a fall in fuel quality?

No but you can be sure when Denis o Brien owns it, and there is little competition the prices will go up!

Someone has to pay Biffos wages!

Jimmy Bottles

bazz26 wrote: »

Plenty of smaller ones have popped up in the last number of years too.

Amber,
Applegreen,
Top,
Inver,
Great Gas.

I wouldn't have either Amber or Top (Tedcastles Oil) as new. Applegreen has appeared in the last 10 years as a big player though.

Interestingly enough, they were the losers in the bidding process for all the old Statoil stations back in 2006.

Jimmy Bottles

Bpmull wrote: »

Well they do supposedly add additives to the fuel whether that's true or not I don't no. I only buy topaz or esso fuel solely because I get the best mpg out of them meaning there the best fuel to me but I don't buy from them because of any of there advertising crap tbh.

I find the opposite with Topaz. Its the one brand which I find doesn't give great mpg.

Bpmull

Jimmy Bottles wrote: »

I find the opposite with Topaz. Its the one brand which I find doesn't give great mpg.

Well with diesel I find it gives more mpg I don't know about the petrol. I would avoid amber, tesco and apple green like the plague. I've heard a lot of good things about maxol I must try that.

Frankie Lee

Tesco were using Topaz as suppliers before, I presume they still do.

Interslice

Jimmy Bottles wrote: »

So, it looks as if yet another big name is going to exit Ireland with Topaz to purchase Esso Ireland (save a reprive from the mergers commission).

Have to say, its sad to see yet another familiar name go. Off the top of my head, Texaco (Chevron) are the only Supermajor operating garages in the ROI. It wasn't that long ago that we had Shell and BP in Ireland. Hell, even the Statoil name was an internationally known brand.

Will this reduction in named brands create a fall in competition. I really don't like the fact that Denis O'Brien will now have 30% of the market with this purchase.

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/energy-and-resources/topaz-confirms-esso-ireland-acquisition-1.2036020

Can't be good for fuel prices. Many areas/roads of the country already have topaz garages only.

I wonder if the new 'Competition and Consumer Protection Commission' will run out of time to make a ruling like the competiton authority did in 2006 with the topaz - shell merger. Interesting also that this comes only one month after this commission was set up and the reform of consumer protection legislation.

Jimmy Bottles

Have to ask, can anyone remember how Statoil entered the market.

Did they originally buy out a previous brand. I recall BP having a lot of forecourts in Ireland and then disappearing overnight in the early 90s.

Interslice

Jimmy Bottles wrote: »

Have to ask, can anyone remember how Statoil entered the market.

Did they originally buy out a previous brand. I recall BP having a lot of forecourts in Ireland and then disappearing overnight in the early 90s.

Bought up all the jet and bp stations afaik.

michael999999

Interslice wrote: »

Can't be good for fuel prices. Many areas/roads of the country already have topaz garages only.

I wonder if the new 'Competition and Consumer Protection Commission' will run out of time to make a ruling like the competiton authority did win 2006 with the topaz - shell merger. Interesting also that this comes only one month after this commission was set up and the reform of consumer protection legislation.

When your fine Gaels biggest financial backer, these rules don't apply. They don't call him Uncle Denis for nothing!

Interslice

michael999999 wrote: »

When your fine Gaels biggest financial backer, these rules don't apply. They don't call him Uncle Denis for nothing!

With the drop in oil prices there plenty of money to be made by reducing competition and keeping the prices up on the forecourt. Esso also supply the jet fuel at dublin airport.

This new 'more powerful' consumer protection commission appears to be a load of bollix already. The difference between the headline and the body of text in the OP's link says it all really.

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/banking-cartel-wins-again-as-new-state-body-chickens-out-30833533.html

Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide have been closed down, and AIB and EBS have merged.

So-called pillar banks - AIB and Bank of Ireland - control about 70pc of the market.

What this means is that consumers are charged up to 2pc more for standard variable rate mortgages than in other countries. We have very high personal loan rates, and current account charges ratcheted up every couple of months

Crumbs868

Jimmy Bottles wrote: »

All the fuel in Ireland is produced at Conoco Phillips' refinery at Whitegate. There is essentially no difference between petrol and diesel at different forecourts. Not sure those additives make much difference.

Topaz claiming that their fuel is "clean" is the biggest horsesh*t ever.

That's not true plenty of irish fuel is refined abroad. I think whitegate only provides circa 40% of Ireland's fuel. A lot of the dublin tankers actually come from south wales

While topazs extra xx miles is rubbish additives definitely have their benefits.

coylemj

Interslice wrote: »

Bought up all the jet and bp stations afaik.

IIRC Shell swallowed up the BP forecourts and that happened before Jet became Statoil.

Jet was the brand name for a (Russian?) company called Conoco whose Irish head office was in Deansgrange near Grange (Mercedes) Motors and beside one of their own Jet fillings stations.

This is what they look like today .....

http://goo.gl/maps/g5vYW

Bigus

Buy a Nissan Leaf , renault Zoe or a BMW electric car and a windmill and féck them all.

Interslice

Bigus wrote: »

Buy a Nissan Leaf , renault Zoe or a BMW electric car and a windmill and féck them all.

Windmill essential :pac:

pa990

Fçûk... esso were the only ones near me keeping a price war going with the local topaz.

Esso were consistently cheaper. And offered a better discount with their fuel card.

braddun

In May of this year, former Taoiseach Brian Cowen was appointed to the board of the company.

Guy:Incognito

braddun wrote: »

In May of this year, former Taoiseach Brian Cowen was appointed to the board of the company.

Well this is certainly new information . How have we not heard about this outrage before?

To the wagons!

Timberrrrrrrr

michael999999 wrote: »

No but you can be sure when Denis o Brien owns it, and there is little competition the prices will go up!

Someone has to pay Biffos wages!

LOL

Timberrrrrrrr

michael999999 wrote: »

No but you can be sure when Denis o Brien owns it, and there is little competition the prices will go up!

Someone has to pay Biffos wages!

Just LOL

nullzero

pa990 wrote: »

Fçûk... esso were the only ones near me keeping a price war going with the local topaz.

Esso were consistently cheaper. And offered a better discount with their fuel card.

You're right. I typically only use the local esso and get to avoid topaz like the plague due to the collosal prices (regularly 5-7 cents more expensive per liter).

Mc Love

129.9 now for Diesel - tis fantastic!

Bandara

I know I'm wasting my time but anyway...

NEWSFLASH

Us forecourt operators make more money from our fuel the cheaper it is.

And that is a 100% take it to the bank FACT.

So the tinfoil conspiracies etc are sadly just that, conspiracies.

So like you good motorists, I look forward to fuel dropping below a euro so I can make 6 cents a litre like the good old days. Unlike the 2 cent a litre that we have been making for the past 6 years or so.

But anyway, enough sense.

Back to the fantasy theories !

gesler

Bandara wrote: »

I know I'm wasting my time but anyway...

NEWSFLASH

Us forecourt operators make more money from our fuel the cheaper it is.

And that is a 100% take it to the bank FACT.

So the tinfoil conspiracies etc are sadly just that, conspiracies.

So like you good motorists, I look forward to fuel dropping below a euro so I can make 6 cents a litre like the good old days. Unlike the 2 cent a litre that we have been making for the past 6 years or so.

But anyway, enough sense.

Back to the fantasy theories !

rubbish

Bandara

gesler wrote: »

rubbish

Ok Mr Industry expert, why is it rubbish ?

Or are you just pounding the keyboard randomly

Jimmy Bottles

Bandara wrote: »

Ok Mr Industry expert, why is it rubbish ?

Or are you just pounding the keyboard randomly

Please explain your rationale of why forecourt operators would make a higher margin on fuel sold if the sales price at the pump falls.

coylemj

What Bandara is saying does make sense from the perspective of retail psychology - as prices come down from the recent historic high, consumers will be less stressed about the cost and therefore less likely to drive an extra couple of kms just to save 1c per litre. This will translate into less pressure on the retailers to drive prices down and hence probably increase margins.

There is a general trend in retailing that as prices come down, it increases the scope for increasing the profit margin because the retailer figures there's no need to give away all of the drop in prices i.e. 'I'll take some of that, thanks'.

gesler

Bandara wrote: »

Ok Mr Industry expert, why is it rubbish ?

Or are you just pounding the keyboard randomly

What I was saying is that you saying petrol stations are making 2c profit per litre is rubbish, actually its a blatant lie..... A badly run one might come out with 2c per litre after running costs but they 2c per litre before costs is just plain wrong.

irishgeo

gesler wrote: »

What I was saying is that you saying petrol stations are making 2c profit per litre is rubbish, actually its a blatant lie..... A badly run one might come out with 2c per litre after running costs but they 2c per litre before costs is just plain wrong.

The profit margin is around 2% .

Kerosene margin is a lot higher.