Low-cost petrol stations double in two years in the Region of Murcia
The pandemic triggered a sharp rise in automatic service stations in the Region, which now total 139
Over the last few years, low-cost petrol stations have exploded in popularity across Spain, drawing more and more customers with their cheap fuel in a time when other costs are continuously rising. Nowhere is this more unstoppable growth more apparent than in the Region of Murcia, where low-cost options now account for three out of every ten service stations.
Today, there are 139 budget filling stations in Murcia, a huge upswing compared to the 63 that serviced the Region back in 2013. That’s a staggering 120.63% increase in just two years and means that Murcia ranks sixth in Spain for the most low-cost gas stations.
According to the latest data from the Spanish Association of Automatic Service Stations (Aesae), automatic filling stations (ESA) now represent 29% of the national market, or 3,477 facilities to be exact.
In just six years, since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, these types of petrol stations have gone from being an emerging alternative to becoming a structural pillar of the sector itself.
It’s hard to believe now, but as recently as 2019 there were only 15 low-cost, self-service filling stations in the Region of Murcia out of a total of 384. This translated into a meagre 4%, a figure well below the national average of 8.5% at the time.
For Aesas, the fact that automated filling stations are a "proven, safe and successful model, as seen in the evolution curve" points to not only more service stations opening without staff in the coming years, but also the conversion of some traditional ones.
In this regard, major fuel distribution companies have already taken firm steps to integrate automatic stations into their networks. For example, Cepsa acquired the Ballenoil stations, one of the pioneering firms in the low-cost gas station sector. Similarly, the giant Repsol, with its Campsa Express brand, has exploited this avenue over the last decade. Even large investment funds such as Portobello Capital and Tensile Capital Management have entered this sector with their takeover of Plenoil.
Even public doubts about the fuel quality at these stations haven’t slowed their growth. The sector insists that all the minimum standards set by national regulations are met, even though traditional petrol stations still stand out only because of the special additives they use in their. As a result, the industry believes the quality debate is over.
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Image: Plenoil
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Marena Murray Property is a real estate agency based at La Manga Club golf resort and leisure facility in Spain’s Region of Murcia, specialising in house, villa and apartment sales and property management for the local area.
As La Manga Club property experts, Marena Murray has decades of experience in property sales, property management and holiday letting, having supplied thousands of international customers with their integrated, full-service property package.Marena Murray was founded by expat Marena Murray – who has decades of experience in the real estate sector – with the aim of providing the best help possible to househunters looking for a holiday home, rental investment or long-term residence at La Manga Club.
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30389
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Murcia
Spain
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