“I never compared the price of gasoline. I tended to stop at the same stations out of sympathy for the owners. But now I’m looking for Total on my GPS…” Like many Corsican motorists, Léa changed her habits with the 20-cent discount offered by Total Energies, since imitated by the Vito group. A small breath of fresh air for purchasing power but a major nervous breakdown for some gas station attendants.
Already more expensive on the island than on the mainland due to transport, fuel finds itself at the heart of a war of steeples. With on one side, the stations that apply the discounts and on the other, the Esso network. Speaking of “unfair competition”, some of them symbolically pulled the curtain last weekend. As in Calvi or Moriani. A crisis meeting took place on Monday evening to ask for a boost from Esso France. Unsuccessful until further notice.
Even if all the stations had reopened normally on Tuesday, the situation remains tense. “With us, unleaded is at 1.65 euros when the nearest competitor displays 1.52, confides Jean-Pierre, from the Esso Brando relay, at the start of Cap Corse. We have the shop, the garage and loyal customers who allow us to resist. But it can’t last…” The Corsican managers are therefore hoping for a gesture from Esso, which belongs to the oil company Exxon. “It’s not up to the little one to make the effort,” continues Jean-Pierre. We are also counting on the elected representatives of the Collectivity to bring the problem back to Paris. »