Service Stations - or Petrol Stations if you still haven’t heard of diesel - have been closing in Cork (and Limerick) for some time.
On the Western Road:
Esso (Muskerry)
On the Douglas Road:
Statoil Johnson & Perott, Maxol Belair, and Esso Dunmahon
On Brian Boru Street:
Top? (Small Corner site)
On Lower Glanmire Road:
Esso? (On left when approaching railway station)
It seems that petroleum retailing isin’t viable business. Most stations are privately owned reseller of their corporate partners. They buy oil at variable prices and sell it to the customer at a percentage margin. The recent closures suggest that something has changed. Perhaps the corporates are selling their oil for very high prices to resellers, and selling oil direct to to consumers at corporate owned flagships stations at lower prices, thereby forcing the private owner out of business, or perhaps private owners are realising that their sites (which are inherently in key locations, with impressive road frontage, with existing approved vertical signs) would be more profitably expotited by developers of apartments, and of course the owners need not feel ashamed at this realisation, they are ultimately running a business with the objective of turning a profit, not providing a public service.
Conjecture aside, the net result is a reduction in competition. Which always leads to higher prices for the consumer. Also the net result is inconvenience. Imagine you find that you car is running low on Patrick Street. Heading West the next station is Carrigrohane Straight Statoil, Heading South the next station is South Douglas Road Texaco.
But these closures are not unique to Cork or even Ireland they are mirrored cough across the ocean, and time.
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