{"id":990,"date":"2026-09-08T15:56:36","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T15:56:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990"},"modified":"2026-09-08T15:56:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T15:56:36","slug":"fuel-price-volatility-is-testing-the-resilience-of-south-africas-forecourts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990","title":{"rendered":"Fuel-price volatility is testing the resilience of South Africa\u2019s forecourts"},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/em>Morn\u00e9 Rossouw, Franchise Specialist at FNB<\/em><\/p>\n

For South Africa\u2019s fuel retailers, volatility is no longer an occasional disruption. It has become a structural operating challenge that affects working capital, stock management, customer retention, and the long-term sustainability of each site.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Geopolitical tensions, oil-price movements, currency weakness, and supply-chain disruption are felt quickly at forecourt level. So, while much of the public discussion around oil and fuel centres on the price motorists pay at the pump, the more immediate concern for the retailer is often the rising cost of securing the next fuel delivery.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

South African fuel retailers operate within a regulated-margin environment. Ary to widely held consumer misperceptions, when the fuel price increases sharply, the retailer does not simply earn more on every litre sold. What does change immediately, however, is the amount of capital required to replenish stock. A fuel delivery that cost R2 million a few weeks earlier could suddenly require hundreds of thousands of rands more. The retailer still has to accept the delivery, keep the tanks full and continue trading. Running dry can damage customer confidence, affect the reputation of the fuel brand and redirect motorists to competing sites. This means fuel-price volatility is not only a consumer affordability issue; for retailers and franchisors, it is a working-capital, operational and business-resilience challenge.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This pressure is intensified by the way fuel supply cycles operate. Retailers have to manage the timing of deliveries, price changes, stock levels, and payment obligations, often while market conditions are shifting rapidly. So, a funding facility based on historical fuel prices and volumes may not always provide enough flexibility when prices rise sharply over a short period. The industry therefore needs funding solutions that recognise the difference between a structural increase in a business\u2019s capital requirements and a temporary price shock. Short-term increases in working capital, like that provided by FNB Business through its spike pricing offering, can help retailers absorb a sudden significant stock cost increase without leaving them permanently overfunded once prices stabilise.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is an area where close cooperation between retailers, fuel companies and financial institutions is very important. FNB Business, for example, has been working with participants across the franchise and fuel-retail ecosystem to better understand these operating cycles and develop more responsive approaches to working-capital support. The objective is not merely to fund a transaction, but to help ensure that viable sites can continue trading through periods of abnormal volatility.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

However, access to flexible finance is only one part of the resilience equation. Fuel retailers today also need to reduce their dependence on fuel volumes alone to secure stable bottom line growth. For this reason, many of the more financially stable sites are increasingly those that generate income from a wider range of products and services, including convenience retail, food outlets, coffee shops, car washes, courier services, and value-added services<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This evolution is already changing how customers choose where to stop for fuel. In the past, a motorist would visit a filling station to fill up and perhaps buy a snack or a newspaper while there. In many metropolitan areas, the pattern is shifting. Customers are starting to choose a site because it offers good coffee, groceries, prepared meals, or other useful services, and then fill up while they are there. The pump is still important, but it is no longer always the main attraction.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The shift has significant implications for profitability. Fuel margins remain constrained, and will continue to do so, but convenience retail can offer greater scope to grow sales and improve returns. A lower fuel volume site with a strong retail offering can, in some cases, be more profitable than a higher-volume forecourt that relies almost entirely on fuel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Diversification can also change how a site is viewed by investors and funders. A business supported by several income streams may be better placed to withstand lower fuel demand, changing travel patterns or future disruption. Retail strength, tenant quality, location, and the overall customer offering are becoming increasingly important measures of a site\u2019s long-term value.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Electric vehicles are starting to add another dimension to this transition. They are unlikely to displace South Africa\u2019s internal-combustion vehicle base overnight, but fuel retailers should not wait for that point before considering how their sites may need to evolve. EV charging can be seen as an extension of the fuel forecourt rather than a threat to it, since charging a vehicle takes longer than filling a tank – creating an opportunity for retailers to up-sell customers by making it easy for them to eat, shop, work or make use of other services while they wait.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Of course, not every filling station will become a large destination site. Rural locations, smaller towns, and high-volume transit routes have different customer needs and economics. The right response will depend on location, ownership structure, available space, and the profile of the surrounding market. However, the broader principle that resilience today increasingly depends on adaptability, and diversification applies across the sector.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fuel retailers cannot control geopolitical events, oil prices or currency movements, but they can strengthen their ability to respond by maintaining appropriate working-capital support, building closer relationships across the fuel ecosystem and developing revenue streams beyond the pump to ensure they are positioned to withstand the next period of volatility, whatever form that may take.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Morn\u00e9 Rossouw, Franchise Specialist at FNB For South Africa\u2019s fuel retailers, volatility is no<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":991,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance"],"yoast_head":"\nFuel-price volatility is testing the resilience of South Africa\u2019s forecourts - Stokvel Talk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fuel-price volatility is testing the resilience of South Africa\u2019s forecourts - Stokvel Talk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Morn\u00e9 Rossouw, Franchise Specialist at FNB For South Africa\u2019s fuel retailers, volatility is no\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Stokvel Talk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-08T15:56:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Morne-Rossouw-Franchise-Specialist-at-FNB.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"745\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"759\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=990#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=990\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8cab1ed537bfb6dd99c4d3e0d0c10c26\"},\"headline\":\"Fuel-price volatility is testing the resilience of South Africa\u2019s forecourts\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-08T15:56:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=990\"},\"wordCount\":908,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=990#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/Morne-Rossouw-Franchise-Specialist-at-FNB.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Finance\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=990#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=990\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=990\",\"name\":\"Fuel-price volatility is testing the resilience of South Africa\u2019s forecourts - Stokvel Talk\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=990#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=990#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/Morne-Rossouw-Franchise-Specialist-at-FNB.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-08T15:56:36+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=990#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=990\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=990#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/Morne-Rossouw-Franchise-Specialist-at-FNB.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/Morne-Rossouw-Franchise-Specialist-at-FNB.jpg\",\"width\":745,\"height\":759},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=990#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Fuel-price volatility is testing the resilience of South Africa\u2019s forecourts\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/\",\"name\":\"Stokvel Talk\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Stokvel Talk\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/cropped-stokvel_talk_news_cover-1-scaled-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/cropped-stokvel_talk_news_cover-1-scaled-1.jpg\",\"width\":2559,\"height\":735,\"caption\":\"Stokvel Talk\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8cab1ed537bfb6dd99c4d3e0d0c10c26\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b3df1cfe648a629fc75c7460c1413a08ddf705d9dfae38513251afb0b80c434c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b3df1cfe648a629fc75c7460c1413a08ddf705d9dfae38513251afb0b80c434c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b3df1cfe648a629fc75c7460c1413a08ddf705d9dfae38513251afb0b80c434c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Fuel-price volatility is testing the resilience of South Africa\u2019s forecourts - Stokvel Talk","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Fuel-price volatility is testing the resilience of South Africa\u2019s forecourts - Stokvel Talk","og_description":"By Morn\u00e9 Rossouw, Franchise Specialist at FNB For South Africa\u2019s fuel retailers, volatility is no","og_url":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990","og_site_name":"Stokvel Talk","article_published_time":"2026-09-08T15:56:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":745,"height":759,"url":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Morne-Rossouw-Franchise-Specialist-at-FNB.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/8cab1ed537bfb6dd99c4d3e0d0c10c26"},"headline":"Fuel-price volatility is testing the resilience of South Africa\u2019s forecourts","datePublished":"2026-09-08T15:56:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990"},"wordCount":908,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Morne-Rossouw-Franchise-Specialist-at-FNB.jpg","articleSection":["Finance"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990","url":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990","name":"Fuel-price volatility is testing the resilience of South Africa\u2019s forecourts - Stokvel Talk","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Morne-Rossouw-Franchise-Specialist-at-FNB.jpg","datePublished":"2026-09-08T15:56:36+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Morne-Rossouw-Franchise-Specialist-at-FNB.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Morne-Rossouw-Franchise-Specialist-at-FNB.jpg","width":745,"height":759},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=990#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Fuel-price volatility is testing the resilience of South Africa\u2019s forecourts"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/#website","url":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/","name":"Stokvel Talk","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/#organization","name":"Stokvel Talk","url":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cropped-stokvel_talk_news_cover-1-scaled-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cropped-stokvel_talk_news_cover-1-scaled-1.jpg","width":2559,"height":735,"caption":"Stokvel Talk"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/8cab1ed537bfb6dd99c4d3e0d0c10c26","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3df1cfe648a629fc75c7460c1413a08ddf705d9dfae38513251afb0b80c434c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3df1cfe648a629fc75c7460c1413a08ddf705d9dfae38513251afb0b80c434c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3df1cfe648a629fc75c7460c1413a08ddf705d9dfae38513251afb0b80c434c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za"],"url":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=990"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":992,"href":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/990\/revisions\/992"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}