The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has confirmed that it will not request road fuel monitoring data from smaller petrol station operators under new powers to monitor fair pricing in the sector.
It is expected that by the end of this year the regulator will begin to ask for information from supermarkets, motorway retailers with five or more sites, and other retailers who have 80 or more sites.
It may however, from time to time, request information from a broader set of petrol station owners, as well as suppliers and distributors.
The CMA will monitor the state of competition in the market and alert government if further intervention is needed to protect consumers.
It has been given information gathering powers to monitor competition in connection with road fuel in the UK under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. These powers, contained in sections 311 to 318 of the Act, allow it to impose financial penalties when businesses do not comply.
The authority will publish quarterly reports, including an annual round-up that will focus on the state of competition in the petrol and diesel market, together with three shorter updates on prices, costs and margins.
This development does not affect moves expected to be introduced this year that will require that forecourt operators, regardless of size, to share details of price changes within 30 minutes of them being implemented.
The Petrol Retailers Association will be meeting with the CMA later this month for ongoing discussions about its plans.
