
For several years, the retail trade in fuels has faced significant difficulties. Now the question arises that why IT support Fuels Retail Stores.
The competitive pressures exerted by the large distribution cause each year the disappearance of very many service stations. Large food supermarkets now account for 61% of fuel sales, which constitutes for them a product of appeal.
Finally, upgrading to standards imposed by regulatory changes requires very large investments that are difficult to finance by independent freelancers.
Faced with competition from large distribution, professionals have, for several years, diversified their offer and conduct loyalty policies. The need to cover all areas of the territory allows the survival of certain independent operators, located in isolated areas.
Trends
The number of traditional fuel outlets is expected to decrease further. Large food stores will remain at an advantage since their supplies by central purchasing offices will make them less vulnerable to fluctuations in the price of oil. The entry into force of the new environmental standards will further weaken the self-employed, unable to meet the necessary investments.
Market organization
- The tanker network:
– The organic network is the most developed. The operator owns the point of sale and stocks. He freely sets his selling prices.
– Located on motorways and in sectors with strong economic activity, the operator can be a free manager or an employee manager. These networks benefit from logistical support from the tanker. Free managers receive a commission on the volumes of fuel distributed.
- The network of independents:
This network was the most affected by the liberalization of prices in 1985. Most of the self-employed distribute fuels in addition to the main activity: automobile brand agents, garage owners, etc.
- Large food stores:
They opened fuel points as soon as prices were liberalized in 1985, using fuels as products of appeal. They achieve 61% of the fuel market share.
How IT support Fuels Retail Stores
The advantages of fuel cards for professionals are particularly evident in terms of How IT support Fuels Retail Stores. This management is simplified thanks to secure titles, and the entire corporate fleet is supervised with advanced tools.
- Simplified fuel and related cost management
Managing the fuel station in a company can be extremely cumbersome from an administrative and accounting point of view, especially since the number of vehicles and drivers who have the right to use them on behalf of the company is high.
Compiling and dissecting all these supporting documents to integrate them into the company’s accounts is a particularly time-consuming task. Also, for the accountant of the company, there is that of calculating the deductibility of VAT for each fuel expense, according to very complex rules. For this whole process, the right to make mistakes does not exist: in the event of non-compliance with these rules, on a single expense, adjustments can be severe.
With a single monthly invoice for all transactions and all business cards, with details of all pre-booked operations, fuel cards for professionals considerably simplify administrative and accounting management.
- A secure title, controlled expenses
Another advantage of the pro fuel card (How IT support Fuels Retail Stores) is that it represents a secure payment voucher, reserved for a vehicle and often with a secret code. Each purchase must be validated by using the card PIN code and the vehicle code. The fraudulent spending by prospective employees who would inflate their costs is almost impossible.
This is all the truer since the cards can be configured directly by the fleet manager to frame the scope of use of the card as precisely as possible.
Thus, it is notably possible, for any period whatsoever, to restrict the use of the card:
- On certain days of the week,
- At a certain time slot per day,
- At a certain number of uses per day,
- To a certain type of fuel.
For more details contact IT Support Brisbane.