[ad_1]
Up to nine out of ten gas stations and kiosks fear that the grocery industry will eat them up.
Is there a gas station somewhere exclusively for hot dogs and gasoline? Should the grocery industry be able to install gas pumps outside of its own stores?
This is something that is being discussed in the Storting, which will soon report to the Storting on competition in the food and service trade.
Virke Servicehandel, who represents kiosks and gas stations, fears that the power and influence of the grocery industry will spread and end up eating up many gas stations and kiosks.
Read more: Races against the shock cure: – Rema 1000, Kiwi and Extra must increase prices drastically to survive
Worried
91 percent of the trade association members say they fear the grocery industry will eat them up entirely, and only 4 percent say they are not worried.
And there is one thing in particular they want from politicians: the opportunity to sell alcohol.
– Limited interests may prevail over broad competition considerations. We are concerned that gas stations will be sacrificed on the altar of alcohol policy, says leader Iman Winkelman at Virke Servicehandel.
According to their calculations, the competitive disadvantage of kiosks and gas stations is at least NOK 13 billion. The strength of opposition to the sale of beer at a gas station became apparent after the National Institute of Public Health proposed extending opening hours to reduce lines at grocery stores.
Read more: Christmas items up to four times more expensive than last year: – The chains take advantage of the situation of the crown
– When FHI presents such a recommendation, and a bourgeois government is not even open to evaluating it, it shows that very narrow considerations take precedence over everything else, says Winkelman.
Virke Servicehandel does not want privileges of his own, but believes that there should be equal competition in all industries. This means that if the grocery industry is allowed to sell gasoline, gas stations must be able to sell alcohol.
He is disappointed with the report to the Storting that has come from the government and believes that it is “rich in analysis, but poor in concrete measures”.
– A concern is that there will be more drunk drivers if it opens for the sale of alcohol at the gas station?
– I understand that people think that. But the vast majority of those who go to a store drive a car. There are already many grocery stores that have installed fuel plants, but they are still allowed to maintain alcohol sales. In practice, there is no difference between a convenience store and a gas station with a wide selection, he says.
He also believes that there are other ways to regulate it and that politicians need to keep up. In recent years, several other offers have been established, such as Kolonial.no, where it is entirely possible to buy alcohol.
Read more: Norway bacon shortage: – Demand has been extreme
– You can do it in an industry neutral way, saying that there are a total of 5 or 10 outlets in a municipality. And that they are awarded regardless of whether it says Esso on the sign or something else. That at least is fair.
Unacceptable
It is completely irrelevant that KrF is opened for alcohol at a gas station.
– The regulations have been in place for several decades. Therefore, it is not true that a new situation has arisen that means that these restrictions have led to a sharp deterioration in the competitive situation, says corporate policy spokesman Steinar Reiten at KrF.
They have received government approval to completely close the door to the case.
“Changing regulations on alcohol is not current policy at the moment,” it says in the message from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Also read: NIPH recommends extending alcohol sales time, which will be cut by the government
Instead, KrF has proposed that more kiosks and gas stations be included in a grant scheme called the “Mercury program.” In 2020, NOK 42.6 million will be distributed in multi-store support plans.
– It is a good and constructive contribution that is also in line with KrF’s ambitions to continue strengthening the Merkur scheme as an important district political tool.
Advertising
Country overview: you must have this on your salary in order to buy a home
