What are some of the major trends in gasoline retailing?
Gasoline retailing is continuing to move away from the traditional operation that involved gasoline being pumped by an attendant (full-serve) coupled with service bays for vehicle maintenance. Increasingly, stations offer motorists a choice between full- and self-serve and also offer a variety of other goods and services at the same site. These may include convenience stores, car washes, fast food outlets and financial services. This trend has been accompanied by a rationalization that has seen many smaller stations close and significant investment made in the surviving stations. A trend that is appearing in some other jurisdictions is gasoline retailing by large food stores. For example, Loblaws has several stores in Alberta and Ontario where gasoline is retailed. Large supermarkets in Britain and France are very actively competing in retail gasoline markets in those countries. U.S.-based Murphy Oil is selling gasoline at selected Wal-Mart stores in Canada.
