Fuel Prices Begin To Stabilize
The average price per gallon rises in 2012 to $3.66
The price of a regular gallon of gasoline reached new heights last year, averaging $3.66 vs. $3.54 in 2011. Although this 3-percent gain per gallon may seem significant, the increase pales in comparison to the massive 27-percent increase that occurred from 2010 to 2011.
Gasoline prices appear to be stabilizing, as are motor fuels sales per convenience store, which rose just 0.1 percent to roughly $4.3 million last year.
Meanwhile, gallons sold per c-store declined by 3 percent, perhaps driven by the higher prices combined with a still jittery economy. Also on the downswing were fuel gross margins â dropping slightly more than one-tenth of a cent per gallon last year â and gross margin dollars, declining 3.7 percent.
Despite lingering economic and unemployment concerns nationwide, c-store operators continue to believe offering motor fuels is a wise decision. More than 82 percent of all U.S. c-stores sold motor fuels last year, an increase of nearly 1 percentage point compared to 2011.