When are we going to see American gas stations in Mexico?

According to the Mexican Association of Gasoline Entrepreneurs AC (Asociación Mexicana de Empresarios Gasolineros A.C.), there are 10,715 gas stations in the country. Today they all work as Pemex franchises and display the same green image, but also promote the brand owner of the franchise group.

On Monday December 7th, an alliance was announced through a statement, consisting of eight gasoline groups that altogether own 10 per cent of the establishments in the country with a total of 1,265 stations. These are Hidrosina, Corpogas, Lodemo, Esges, Enerkom, Octan Fuel, Gasored and Cargo. These companies announced they will work together with Pemex and will begin to offer additional services such as electricity and telephone bill paying.

The new partnership also emerged to compete with the G500 group that brings together more than 1,000 gas stations.

But gas station companies creating groups is not a coincidence. After the reforms in the energy sector, starting on Friday January, 1st 2016 entrepreneurs who want to sell gasoline and diesel will no longer be required to have a franchise agreement with Pemex, so new brands of gas stations (domestic and foreign) will begin to emerge. This means that many will no longer have the official color and logo of Pemex, but will showcase their own designs and branding.

In the United States there are at least fifty major gasoline corporations, such as Chevron, Circle K, BP, Exxon, Go-Mart, Mobil, Philips 66, Shell and Texaco, among others; some of them are expected to start opening branches in Mexican territory by January 2016. These brands will be competing with each other, but all of them will be selling gasoline and diesel at the same price.

Nevertheless, this condition will change on January 1, 2017 when they will have the option of importing gasoline and diesel from other countries and the price per liter will be free and will change according to international crude oil prices.

Source: http://www.merca20.com/