***CHEVRON BRAND STILL FETCHES TOP PREMIUM IN U.S., NEW OPIS REPORT SHOWS
Chevron used 2010 to pull out of some states that were on the periphery of its marketing area, but it still managed to have more pricing power on the street than any other brand. The just released OPIS Retail Year in Review &
2011 Profit Outlook found that among brands meeting a 0.5% market share threshold, the Chevron flag achieved the largest premium at the pump.

The average Chevron station was able to sell unleaded regular gas 3.09cts gal above competitors. Shell took second place with an average differential of 2.46cts gal, followed by the 76 flag (1.39cts gal); Texaco (1.34cts gal) and Conoco (1.17cts gal).

The report also concludes that Shell has the largest market share, holding an estimated 15.42% of nationwide gasoline volume, down a slight 0.04% from last year. Despite all of its 2010 oil spill woes, BP had the second highest share with 7.96%, down from the 2009 level of 8.24%. However, data gathered in the report did reveal that BP’s share dipped in June at the height of the BP Deepwater Horizon press coverage. Volumes recovered later in the year, but have yet to return to numbers seen before the event.

Mobil took top honors among major flag ratings in market efficiency, which calculates market share divided by outlet share. The Mobil score of 1.32 edged out other multinationals but it is still well below top ratings of independent chains. Wawa, for example, had a market share of 1.46% with an outlet share of just 0.26%, so its efficiency rating was more than four times Mobil’s at 5.68.
Sheetz had the second best efficiency rating with a score of 4.24. Wawa priced its pumps an average of 3.33cts/gal under its competitors while Sheetz priced at 1.19cts/gal under its foes.

The complete 125 page report ranks over 100 brands, and details strongest and most challenging markets throughout the U.S. along with analysis of volatility, market swings, year-on-year changes, and other key elements. It is available at http://www.opisretail.com/retail_year_in_review.html