driving
French supermarket group Leclerc reduces diesel prices by 21c per litre
Drivers will save more than €10 on a 50-litre tank
E. Leclerc is cutting diesel prices by 21 cents per litre at all 742 of its French service stations from today (November 1), following the government’s release of strategic fuel reserves.
The supermarket group announced the reduction on Saturday (October 31), saying the discount would be applied daily to the price of diesel, which will continue to follow market rates.
Average national prices were €2.379 per litre on Saturday, but are likely to fall to around €2.15 at affected service stations.
Leclerc said it was passing on the difference between the historical cost of the strategic stocks and current market prices, without retaining any of the savings as additional profit.
The announcement follows an earlier move by TotalEnergies, which reduced diesel prices to €2.15 per litre at its 705 Access service stations from Saturday. These account for around 60% of the company's fuel sales in France.
TotalEnergies has also maintained a €2.25-per-litre ceiling across its wider French network.
Other fuel retailers prepare reductions
Other major distributors are also expected to lower prices, although the reductions will vary.
Coopérative U chief executive Dominique Schelcher previously announced cuts of up to 18 cents per litre from November 1, warning that the precise amount would depend on individual stations' transport costs.
Intermarché owner Les Mousquetaires has also pledged to pass on the savings, although it has not specified a date or the size of the reduction.
The government announced earlier in October that it would release 10 million barrels of diesel from France's strategic reserves over three months, distributing the stocks among fuel retailers according to their market share in 2025.
The measure is expected to reduce pump prices by an average of 12-18 cents per litre, although the actual saving will vary between stations.
A government decree requires service stations to clearly show the value of the reduction to clients in terms of euros per litre, with the aim of ensuring the savings reach motorists rather than being retained elsewhere in the supply chain.
The fraud and competition watchdog (DGCCRF) will check the volumes of fuel delivered and sold and the prices.
