FAS RUSSIA ISSUED A WARNING TO THE COMPANY LUKOIL-URALNEFTEPRODUCT ON REDUCTION OF RETAIL PRICES FOR GASOLINE

The actions of the organization revealed signs of violation of the antimonopoly law while setting fuel prices at gas stations in the Perm Region, the company must stop the unjustified increase in gasoline prices

In the current conditions on the country's fuel market, the Federal Antimonopoly Service instructed the Regional Offices to strengthen monitoring of retail prices for petroleum products. If the results reveal signs of violation of the Law on the Protection of Competition, the authority takes antimonopoly response measures.

Thus, the Perm Regional Office of the FAS Russia revealed signs of violation of antimonopoly law in the activities of Lukoil-Uralnefteprodukt LLC [1]. In January-March 2021, the company set different prices for motor fuel at gas stations in the Perm Region.

Lukoil-Uralneftproduct dominates the region in the motor fuel market, and the Competition Protection Act prohibits dominants from unreasonably setting different prices for the same product.

As the company explained, it decided to conduct a marketing study on the elasticity of demand at individual gas stations. In particular, Lukoil-Uralnefteprodukt increased the price at individual gas stations by 50-90 kopecks per liter during the day from the general level, and at night – reduced it by 10 kopecks.

The Regional Office of the FAS Russia concluded that the company's research could not be considered an economic or technological justification for the price increase.

In this regard, the Perm Regional Office of the FAS Russia issued a warning to Lukoil-Uralneftproduct on the need to stop the unreasonable increase in retail gasoline prices at the company's gas station, where the marketing study was conducted.

The warning must be executed within 10 days from the date of its receipt, otherwise the Regional Offices of the FAS Russia will initiate a case on violation of the antimonopoly legislation.

The authority will continue to monitor prices on the oil products market on an ongoing basis in order to avoid a sharp and unjustified increase in retail gasoline prices.

For reference:

[1] paragraph 6 of part 1 of Article 10 of the Law on Protection of Competition