Morocco Fuel Stations Allege Unfair Practices by Major Distributors Amid Competition Probe

15 March 2020 – bySylvanus@Bladi · 1 min read

The National Federation of Owners, Merchants and Managers of Service Stations in Morocco denounces a pernicious practice by hydrocarbon distributors. This denunciation comes a few weeks before the publication of the annual report of the Competition Council on the state of competition, particularly in the liquid hydrocarbons sector.

The Federation’s denunciation concerns a "surprise measure" by the companies OLA Energy Maroc and Winxo, reports Écoactu.ma. According to the federation, these two companies have distributed "suspicious" retroactive "commitments" that hold service station owners responsible for setting the profit margin. According to the Federation, failure to comply with this requirement could lead to a cessation of supply.

"The owners and managers are bound by exclusive contracts with a single distributor who, in a way, imposes his conditions. As for the profit margins of service station owners, they have not changed for 23 years," explains Jamal Zrikem, president of the National Federation of Owners, Merchants and Managers of Service Stations.

Faced with this deplorable situation, the Federation is calling on all professionals to boycott the signing of the said document. It also intends to refer the matter to the Competition Council for "urgent intervention".

Category: Economy

Keywords:

Energy Fuel Distribution