U.K. Fuel Companies See Demand Normalizing Within Days

(Bloomberg) -- The companies involved in producing fuel and distributing it around the U.K. are optimistic that demand will normalize in the next few days, ending a period of panic buying that drained many of the nation’s filling stations.

Their statement, distributed by BP Plc on Monday afternoon, brought some clarity after many of the country’s key retailers said little of substance about when supplies at the filling stations would normalize. 

Below is a tracker of the key statements, and when they were given. It will be updated as new announcements are made. Timestamps are London.

Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, 11:55 a.m. 

• “It is a rapidly moving situation and we are working hard with our suppliers to ensure we can continue to keep all our pumps open and serve our customers”

Esso, Exxon Mobil Corp.’s U.K. business, 10:47 a.m. 

• “A number of our 200 Tesco Alliance sites (Esso forecourt with a Tesco Express shop) are impacted in some way. We are working closely with all parties in our distribution network to optimize supplies.”
• NOTE: There are around 1,000 stations in the U.K. that are Esso-branded but they are owned and operated by independent retail companies.
• “Our advice is for motorists to stick to their normal buying patterns.”

J Sainsbury Plc, 10:30 a.m. 

• “We’re experiencing high demand for fuel. We’re working closely with our supplier to maintain supply and all our sites continue to receive fuel”
• Some stations “are currently closed but we’ll struggle to break this out because the situation is changing all the time – sites are reopening after receiving more fuel while some are closing until they receive more.”

Tesco Plc, 9:51 a.m.

• “We have good availability of fuel, and we’re working really hard to ensure regular deliveries to our petrol filling stations across the U.K. every day”

Motor Fuel Group, 4:45 p.m. Monday:

• Declined to comment
• NOTE: Company operates more than 900 stations under the BP, Shell, Esso, Texaco, JET and Murco brands

Group including BP, Shell and Exxon, 4:45 p.m. Monday

• “As many cars are now holding more fuel than usual, we expect that demand will return to its normal levels in the coming days, easing pressures on fuel station forecourts. We would encourage everyone to buy fuel as they usually would.”
• “There is plenty of fuel at U.K. refineries and terminals”
• NOTE: Statement was sent by BP; group also represents Wincanton, Certas Energy UK, Hoyer Petrolog UK, Greenergy, Fuels Transport and Logistics, Downstream Fuel, Suckling Transport

Royal Dutch Shell Plc, 12:25 p.m. Monday: 

• “Measures that will help to ease the pressure on the fuel supply chain are welcome. We are working hard to ensure supplies for customers. Since Friday we have been seeing a higher than normal demand across our network which is resulting in some sites running low on some grades. We are replenishing these as quickly as we are able to.”
• NOTE: Statement removes a reference provided Sunday to normally replenishing within 24 hours

BP Plc, 12:15 p.m. Sept. 27:

• “We are experiencing fuel supply issues at some of our retail sites in the U.K. This is being caused by delays in our supply chain due to a shortage of qualified drivers”
• “Most of the 1,200 sites we supply across the U.K. remain supplied and open. However, with the intense demand seen over the past two days, we estimate that around 30% of sites in this network do not currently have either of the main grades of fuel. We are working to resupply as rapidly as possible. Sites that have multiple grade-outs may have closed for fuel purchases – we do not have an estimate of this number”
• “We continue to work hard with our haulier supplier, Hoyer, to optimize fuel distribution and to minimize the level of disruption, keeping key sites supplied and restocking as rapidly as possible. The sites affected are changing as we continue deliveries as usual.”

EG Group, owner of Euro Garages, Sept. 24

• “Due to the current unprecedented customer demand for fuel and associated supply challenges we have taken the decision to introduce a limit of 30 pounds per customer on all of our grades of fuel. This excludes HGV drivers and emergency services due to their vital role at this time.”
   

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