An OPIS survey of nearly 5,000 stations shows same-store sales down 2.3% compared to 2013 and off by 3.6% when compared to 2012. The store numbers, which run the gamut from regional chains, to small operators, to large high-volume outlets, contradict reports from the EIA which says volumes were up 1.4% over last year, but confirm reports from various retailers who have been suspect of the EIA data.
[Every week OPIS tracks volumes from stations around the country and does same-store comparisons to the previous week, previous month and previous year and publishes it in its newly-released OPIS Demand Report. In this report, OPIS shows how volumes have changed nationally and regionally and will incorporate state data as more participants anonymously provide their store information.]
On a quarterly basis, the EIA shows volumes up almost 1% in the first quarter, and up slightly for the second and third quarter, with a strong increase of 2.1% in the fourth quarter. The OPIS store volumes show a different story however, with volumes down a whopping 4.3% in the first quarter thanks to a brutal winter in much of the country. Sales were down by 1.5%, 1.9% and 1.3% in the second, third, and fourth quarters respectively.
Only 42.5% of the stations sold more gasoline this year compared to what they sold in 2013, with almost 20% seeing drops of more than 10%. It was even worse when compared to 2012, with almost 60% of all stations selling less gasoline and 27.3% seeing drops of more than 10%.
Regionally, the Southeast was the only area to see gains versus 2013, with volumes edging up by 0.3%. The Southwestern region was about even compared to last year, while the Western part of the country was down by 0.5%. The midsection of the country was off by 3.3% and the Northeast saw the largest declines, with same-store sales down by 4.5%.
Looking at a handful of states, most saw volumes decline. Florida was an exception with volumes up by 0.5%. New Jersey was down 2.3% and Virginia was off by 2.8%, while Pennsylvania was down 4.8% and Maryland was off by 5.2%.
The OPIS Demand Report is now available to try free for four weeks. Store owners who want to participate in the report should contact Brian Norris, Associate Director of Retail Fuels at OPIS at 301.287.2413 or bnorris@opisnet.com.
About OPIS
OPIS, a subsidiary of UCG, is a leading source for worldwide petroleum pricing and news information and has offices in Gaithersburg, MD; Wall, NJ; St. Paul, MN; Gothenburg, Sweden and Singapore. Every day, OPIS publishes spot prices for all refined products, more than 30,000 wholesale gasoline and diesel rack prices and more than 130,000 retail fuel prices (www.opisnet.com). Through its subsidiary, Axxis Software, OPIS also provides leading-edge software solutions for petroleum marketers looking to automate price collection, data storage and repricing of dealer and commercial accounts.
About UCG
Founded in 1977, UCG is one of America’s leading, privately held providers of specialized business-to-business information. UCG’s portfolio is composed of companies serving the information and software needs of decision makers in health care, oil and energy, technology, telecommunications, banking and finance, and the mortgage industry. The company has received many awards for journalistic excellence and was voted one of D.C.’s 50 Best Places to Work by Washingtonian Magazine. (www.ucg.com)
