Britain will require supermarkets and retailers to give drivers access to live fuel prices at every gas tation on their phones or satnavs after the country's antitrust regulator said competition had weakened in the sector since 2019.
Last week, finance minister Jeremy Hunt met regulators to agree steps to ensure consumers are being treated fairly amid a cost of living crisis, Marketscreener.com reported.
Publishing the results of its investigation into the road fuel market, the Competition and Markets Authority said UK drivers who bought fuel at supermarkets in 2022 paid around 6 pence per liter more than they would have done otherwise due to the 'big four' supermarkets increasing their margins.
CMA blamed the weakening in competition on a decision by Asda and Morrisons, the traditional price-leaders on fuel, to compete less hard so as to achieve higher margins, and a lack of competitive response to this by others, including Tesco and Sainsbury's.
"Competition is not working well and greater transparency in pricing is needed to improve consumer confidence and bring down prices for drivers," it said.
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