WALL, N.J. -- On a national basis, Chevron topped the Oil Price Information Service's Brand Power Rankings for the third straight year, OPIS said. The ranking system is based on how much of a premium one brand is able to extract against its direct competition at the pump. The average Chevron station was able to charge 2.15 cents per gallon (cpg) more than its competition. Shell was second followed by Lukoil, BP, Texaco, Fina, Mobil, Exxon, 76 and Pure.
At the opposite end of the spectrum was ARCO, which priced its pumps nearly 10 cpg below its competitors. [image-nocss] The ARCO discount was more substantial than Costco, Sam's and BJ's, the three largest wholesale clubs in the country.
On a regional basis, top honors continued to go to major flags except one region.
New England: Texaco was the most powerful player with the average station pricing 3.1 cpg above its competitors. Shell was next followed by Mobil, Exxon and Sunoco. Hess was the most aggressive in the region, even more aggressive than supermarket chain Stop & Shop. Mid-Atlantic: Shell, Mobil, Lukoil and Exxon were in the top four, while Wawa, Xtra Fuel, Delta Sonic, Royal Farms and Kroger were in the bottom five. Southeast: Chevron was also a regional winner in the Southeast. The more aggressive stations in the region included Flying J, Costco, Liberty , Sam's and Sheetz, which recently opened some sites in North Carolina. Great Lakes: It was independent brands in this region that took the top 2 spots. Gas City and Fast Stop were best in the region, comprised of Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Flying J, Meijer, Wal-Mart, Murphy USA, Thornton Oil and Kroger were ranked as some of the chains with the lowest pump prices. Midwest : BP took the top spot in the Midwest, which also saw Valero and FINA crack the top five. The top five most aggressive brands included Murphy USA, Quik Trip, Kwik Shop, Mirastar and 7-Eleven. Southwest: The 76 flag was tops in the Southwest. The most aggressive supermarket in the region was Kroger followed by Albertsons, HEB and Safeway. The data also indicates that Costco priced more aggressively than Sam's by about 3 cpg. Rockies: Chevron once again obtained a regional championship and Conoco cracked a regional top five for the first time this year. Sam's Costco, Mirastar, King Soopers, Flying J and Maverik were the most aggressive sites in the region. West Coast: Texaco was No. 1 on the West Coast, followed by Chevron. Pacific: Costco and ARCO were the two cheapest-pricing brands in the Pacific.
Wall, N.J.-based OPIS ranked more than 90 brands in this year's Brand Power Rankings including Mobil, Exxon, Stewarts, Marathon Ashland, CITGO, Cenex, Sunoco, Rotten Robbie, BJ's, USA Petroleum, Safeway, Phillips 66, Sinclair, Kum & Go, Aloha, RaceTrac, Admiral, Home Depot, Caseys, Speedway, Kwik Trip, PDQ, Irving, Tesoro, Rutters, Gas America, Gate, MAPCO, Getty, Gulf, Circle K, Weigel, Valero, Murphy USA, Tesoro, Wawa, Sheetz, Thornton Oil, 7-Eleven, QuikTrip, FINA and more.
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