Gas Stations Industry Profile

Companies in this industry primarily sell fuel for motor vehicles; they may also offer car washes, car repairs, or inspections. No major companies dominate the industry. Although major oil companies own few retail fueling outlets, many gas stations contract to sell specific brands of fuel.

Rising demand for motor fuels in fast-growing economies such as China and India is driving gas station growth in those countries. China, the world's second-largest fuel market (behind the US) is home to more than 100,000 gas stations. Together, China's state-owned oil companies China National Petroleum Corporation (aka PetroChina) and Sinopec own 24,000 and 30,600 gas stations, respectively, according to Deloitte's China Gasoline Retailing Development Trends Report 2019. Other players include privately run and foreign-owned companies (through joint ventures with Chinese partners). Major foreign firms, including Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Exxon Mobil, and Total, account for 4% of the market. The Chinese provinces with the most gas stations include Shandong, Hebei, Henan, Guangdong, and Jiangsu. India, with more than 60,000 retail fuel stations and a growing middle class keen on car ownership, is outpacing China as the driver of global oil demand growth. Three state-run firms -- India Oil Corp., Hindustan Petroleum, and Bharat Petroleum -- dominate the market accounting for more than 93% of the market share, according to Platts Analytics. Still, India's fast-growing retail fuel market is drawing attention from major global oil companies, including Shell and UK-based BP.

The US gas station ...