Commercial Fuel Cards in Europe: Market Size, Issuer Strategies and Competitive Success

Introduction

Datamonitor's Commercial Fuel Cards in Europe is invaluable for issuers of fleet cards, fuel retailers, fleet leasing companies and other suppliers to the sector. Based on research with issuers and fuel retailers it provides commercial (B2B) fuel card volume forecasts to 2012, information on independent and oil company issuers and an analysis of fuel card competition in 25 European countries.

Features and benefits

* Plan effective market entry strategies by uncovering the current and future volume and value of fuel card transactions in 25 countries across Europe.
* Assess if you should increase network acceptance of your card and identify potential new merchants by uncovering the position of your competitors.
* Whether you are an issuer, a processor, a leasing company or a fuel retailer make informed pitches to partners by understanding their business.
* Enhance fuel sales at your service stations by identifying which fuel cards you should accept based on their market shares and network acceptance.

Highlights

In 2009 the European commercial fuel cards market was worth €71,536 million. 21.8% of fuel purchases at service stations across Europe are made on fuel cards and are mainly diesel. The volume of fuel purchased on these cards has fallen since 2007 though they account for a growing share of the fuel payments market.
Most public service stations across Europe accept fuel cards. Germany is the largest fuel cards market in Europe, but the popularity of fuel cards varies across the continent. Datamonitor expects the largest proportional growth in card usage to come from Central European markets including the Czech Republic and Poland.
Oil company card issuers such as Shell, BP and TOTAL account for the majority of fuel card volumes in Europe. Many oil company cards are accepted at other fuel retailer sites both domestically and on a pan-European level. Other independent issuers such as DKV, UTA and CCS issue cards that are accepted across the continent.

Your key questions answered

* How large is the European fuel card market? What proportion of sales are to small and large commercial vehicles? What are diesel and gasoline sales?
* How does my card's network acceptance compare to my competitors and are there any other retailers I should consider partnering with in new markets?
* Are any of my competitors distributing their fuel card through leasing companies and are there any that I could potentially partner?
* As a fuel retailer should I consider accepting more card brands at my service stations and which ones would give me access to a large customer base?
* As a vehicle leasing company I'd like to offer a fuel card product, can I do that alone or is there an existing card issuer I could partner with?
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview 1
Catalyst 1
Summary 2
Defining the European Commercial Fuel Card Market 17
This report examines the fuel card market in 25 European countries 17
Only commercial fuel cards are considered in this report 17
Only fuel purchased through the public service station network is examined 17
The fuel card market is split between vehicles above and below 3.5 tonnes 17
There are two core types of fuel card issuer in Europe 18
Oil company issuers are either autonomous or operate in partnership with other fuel retailers 18
Independent fuel card issuers include UTA, DKV, and Arval 18
European Market Overview 19
The European commercial fuel card market was worth €71,536m in 2009 19
The value of the commercial fuel card market fell in 2009 due to the decline in fuel prices 19
The proportion of fuel volume purchased on commercial fuel cards increased in 2009 20
The above-3.5 tonne market has a slightly larger value and volume share than the fleet market 21
The majority of fuel purchased on commercial fuel cards is diesel 22
After a slow in growth in 2008, total commercial vehicle registrations grew 1.4% in 2009 24
The number of service stations across Europe accepting fuel cards has increased 25
Germany is the largest fuel card market in Europe 26
Fuel cards account for a high proportion of purchases in Western and Northern Europe 28
Market Outlook 31
The proportion of fuel purchased using fuel cards in Europe is likely to increase 31
The volume of fuel purchased on fuel cards is set to grow marginally to 2012 31
An increase in fleet car registrations is the driver behind the growth in fuel card volume sales 32
The CRT fuel card market will remain larger than the fleet card market to 2012 33
Despite a decline in fuel card volumes, Germany is set to remain the largest fuel card market in Europe 34
The largest growth in the fuel card market is likely to come from Eastern Europe 34
Fuel Card Issuer Outlook 35
Shell is the largest oil company fuel card issuer in Europe 35
Arval is the leading independent fuel card issuer in Europe 36
Key strategic issues 38
Divestment of oil company networks could open up opportunities in the fuel card market 38
Third party re-sellers are prevalent in the UK, but less so across the continent 38
Fleet leasing firms are a key distribution channel for card issuers 38
Car sharing clubs are another distribution opportunity for fuel card issuers 41
Despite fuel cards operating on a closed-loop system, opportunities still exist for processing outsourcers 41
Many additional fuel card features and services are now standard 42
Independent fuel card issuers continue to add value through additional services 42
Pan-European Card Issuers 44
There are two independent and four major oil company pan-European cards 44
Pan-European cards tend to have a CRT customer focus 44
DKV 45
DKV has the largest European acceptance of any fuel card 45
UTA 46
Around a quarter of service stations in Europe accept the UTA card 46
Shell 47
Shell has the largest oil company-branded pan-European fuel card acceptance 47
Routex 48
Just under 16% of service stations in Europe accept Routex-branded fuel cards 48
TOTAL 49
The Eurotrafic card is TOTAL's pan-European card offer 49
National Competitor Landscape 50
Austria 50
BP has the largest share of fuel card volumes in Austria 50
Each of the key issuers in Austria relies on multi-retailer acceptance 51
Each of the leading Austrian players offers a CRT and a fleet commercial fuel card 52
LeasePlan has the largest share of the operational leasing market in Austria 52
Belgium 53
TOTAL has the largest network acceptance and share of the commercial fuel card market in Belgium 53
Card issuer cross-network acceptance is commonplace in Belgium 54
TOTAL and Texaco each offer a Benelux commercial fuel card 55
Shell has developed a fuel card specifically for embassy staff and diplomats living in Belgium 55
Czech Republic 55
FleetCor-owned CCS is the leading fuel card issuer in Czech Republic 55
The strength of CCS in Czech Republic has driven other issuers to form acceptance partnerships 57
CCS and UTA offer a jointly branded card for CRT vehicles 58
OMV only issues Routex-branded cards in Czech Republic 58
Denmark 58
OK and Shell have the largest share of the commercial fuel card market in Denmark 58
Card issuer acceptance partnerships are less prevalent in Denmark 60
Each of the major players in Denmark issue a commercial and a consumer fuel card 61
Estonia 61
Statoil has the largest share of the commercial fuel card market in Estonia 61
Olerex is the only issuer in the top five to partner with another fuel retailer to expand its presence 63
Some fuel card issuers offer pre-paid fuel cards in Estonia 63
Fuel cards issued in Estonia are also commonly accepted at sites in surrounding countries 64
Finland 64
Neste has the largest share of the commercial fuel card market in Finland 64
Finnish fuel card issuers rely solely on their own retail networks 66
A number of card issuers in Finland offer a fuel card directly targeting CRT customers 67
Teboil and St1 offer a consumer credit card 67
France 67
TOTAL is the dominant fuel card issuer in France 67
The BP card will continue to be accepted in France despite the divestment of the branded network 67
TOTAL is the only leading card issuer without a cross-brand network acceptance in France 69
France is one of the only countries which features a supermarket-issued commercial fuel card 70
Germany 70
Shell's card acceptance has increased in recent years 70
Cross-network partnerships are a common feature of fuel cards in Germany 72
Greece 73
The Greek fuel card market is dominated by two card issuers 73
Hungary 77
MOL is the leading commercial fuel card issuer in Hungary 77
OMV and Agip benefit in Hungary through the Routex partnership 78
Market leader MOL offers five commercial fuel cards in Hungary 79
Four of the five largest fuel retailers in Hungary offer B2C cards 79
Ireland 79
Topaz has the largest share of the fuel card market in Ireland 79
EMO, DCI and Top have multiple fuel retailers which accept their respective fuel cards 81
Topaz offers a European and a domestic fuel card 82
Texaco and Maxol both issue three commercial fuel cards 82
Italy 83
Agip has the largest share of the Italian commercial fuel card market 83
Partnerships are vital in building adequate retailer acceptance in Italy 84
The Agip TruckPass24 is accepted at 100 fully automated truck stops in Italy 85
Esso issues both a domestic and a European fuel card in Italy 85
The merger of TOTAL and ERG has created a new co-branded fuel card 85
Lithuania 86
Lukoil has the largest share of the Lithuanian fuel card market 86
Lukoil's fuel card is also accepted at Baltic Petroleum and Luktarna sites 87
Three oil company card issuers in Lithuania offer a European fuel card 88
Luxembourg 88
Each of the major European oil company fuel card issuers are well represented within Luxembourg 88
A number of the leading oil companies have a retail presence in Luxembourg 90
TOTAL issues a domestic and a European fuel card in Luxembourg 91
Netherlands 91
Shell is the leading fuel card issuer in Netherlands 91
MTC and Travelcard are the second and third largest fuel card issuers in Netherlands 92
Card acceptance partnerships are commonplace in Netherlands 94
Market leader Shell offers a domestic and a European card in Netherlands 94
MTC and Travelcard offer a co-branded international card with DKV 94
Norway 96
The Norwegian fuel card market is one of the most consolidated in Europe 96
None of the major issuers' cards are accepted at rival fuel retailers' sites in Norway 97
Statoil, Uno-X Energi, and Esso all issue a diesel card for CRT customers 98
Poland 98
PKN Orlen has the largest share of the Polish fuel card market 98
BP and Statoil fuel cards enjoy a high acceptance rate in Poland due to the Routex partnership 100
PKN Orlen issues a co-branded DKV commercial card in Poland 101
Grupa Lotos offers an international fuel card in conjunction with Esso 101
Portugal 101
Galp has the largest share of the commercial fuel card market in Portugal 101
Galp's fuel card is accepted at the largest number of sites in Portugal 103
Galp issues a fleet and a CRT card, both of which are accepted at sites in Portugal and Spain 104
Repsol issues a co-branded DKV fuel card for extended European acceptance 104
TOTAL cards in Portugal are now issued under the Cepsa brand 104
Romania 104
Petrom has the largest share of the Romanian fuel card market 104
Fuel card acceptance partnerships are fairly limited in Romania 106
The Rompetrol Fill & Go RING system allows fleet managers to access information remotely 107
Petrom has a solely domestic card offer in Romania 107
Slovakia 107
Slovnaft is the leading fuel card issuer in Slovakia 107
The CCS card is accepted at multiple fuel retailers in Slovakia 109
Slovnaft issues two fuel cards in Slovakia 110
CCS offers GPS monitoring of business fleets in Slovakia 110
Slovenia 110
Petrol Slovenia is the dominant fuel card issuer in Slovenia 110
Petrol Slovenia's card is only accepted at its own-branded sites in Slovenia 112
Petrol Slovenia issues a co-branded card with the pan-European issuer UTA 112
Spain 113
Repsol has a dominant share of the Spanish fuel card market 113
Fuel card acceptance partnerships are fairly limited in Spain 114
Repsol issues three commercial fuel cards in Spain 115
Sweden 115
Statoil accounts for the largest slice of the commercial fuel card market in Sweden 115
Acceptance partnerships between fuel card issuers and other branded fuel retailers are limited in Sweden 117
OKQ8 issues a number of fuel cards in Sweden as well as a B2C fuel card 118
It is unclear what impact the acquisition of the Shell retail network will have on the fuel card market 118
Switzerland 118
Shell is the leading fuel card issuer in Switzerland 118
Agip and BP are the only major card issuers in Switzerland to have a card acceptance partnership 120
Supermarket retailer Migrol offers a commercial fuel card in Switzerland 121
UK 121
The UK fuel card market is dominated by Arval 121
All of the major fuel card issuers have extensive acceptance partnerships in the UK 123
In addition to Arval, there are two other major non-oil affiliated fuel card issuers in the UK 124
BP, Shell, and Esso each offer a separate fleet and CRT card 124
Appendix 125
Methodology 126
Stage one – primary research 126
Stage two – market modeling 126
Stage three – primary validation 126
Stage four – data finalization 126
Further reading 126
Ask the analyst 126
Datamonitor consulting 127
Disclaimer 127


TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Total value and volume sales of the European commercial fuel card market, 2009 19
Figure 2: Value of European fuel card market (€m), 2005–09 20
Figure 3: Volume and proportion of fuel purchased on commercial fuel cards in Europe, 2005–09 21
Figure 4: Total European volume and value sales split by CRT and fleet cards, 2009 22
Figure 5: European diesel and gasoline fuel card volume sales, 2009 23
Figure 6: Total European CRT and fleet registrations, 2006–12e 25
Figure 7: Total number and percentage of sites accepting commercial fuel cards, 2006–10 26
Figure 8: Total fuel card volume sales and cards per fleet and per CRT vehicle, per country, 2009 27
Figure 9: Proportion of service station fuel purchased using fuel cards by country, 2009 30
Figure 10: European fuel card volume sales and fuel card share of total retail volume, 2005–12e 31
Figure 11: European CRT and fleet fuel card volume sales, 2006–12e 32
Figure 12: European CRT and fleet vehicle registrations, 2006–12e 33
Figure 13: Top eight oil company fuel card issuers by European fuel card volume share, 2009 36
Figure 14: Top eight independent fuel card issuers by European fuel card volume share, 2009 37
Figure 15: Acceptance of top six pan-European issuers' cards (x indicates acceptance), by country, January 1, 2010 45
Figure 16: The DKV fuel card and the Repsol Solred DKV fuel card 46
Figure 17: The UTA and UTA/CCS Full Service cards 47
Figure 18: The UK-issued fleet and CRT euroShell fuel cards 48
Figure 19: Statoil, Agip, and OMV Routex-branded fuel cards 49
Figure 20: TOTAL Eurotrafic card and Cepsa-branded Eurotrafic card 49
Figure 21: Austria fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 50
Figure 22: Austria fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 51
Figure 23: Austria card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 51
Figure 24: The BP PLUS and euroShell fleet cards can be used for payment at APCOA car parks in Austria 52
Figure 25: Belgium fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 53
Figure 26: Belgium fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 54
Figure 27: Belgium card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 54
Figure 28: The Texaco (Delek) Benelux commercial fuel card 55
Figure 29: Czech Republic fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 56
Figure 30: Czech Republic fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 57
Figure 31: Czech Republic card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 57
Figure 32: The CCS Limit, Business, and dual-branded commercial fuel cards offered in Czech Republic 58
Figure 33: Denmark fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 59
Figure 34: Denmark fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 60
Figure 35: Denmark card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 60
Figure 36: Q8 and Statoil consumer fuel cards in Denmark 61
Figure 37: Estonia fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 62
Figure 38: Estonia fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 63
Figure 39: Estonia card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 63
Figure 40: Finland fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 65
Figure 41: Finland fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 66
Figure 42: Finland card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 66
Figure 43: St1 and Teboil consumer credit cards 67
Figure 44: France fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 68
Figure 45: France fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 69
Figure 46: France card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 69
Figure 47: E.Leclerc and Auchan commercial fuel cards, and Carrefour fuel vouchers 70
Figure 48: Germany fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 71
Figure 49: Germany fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 72
Figure 50: Germany fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 72
Figure 51: Aral's Routex fleet and CRT fuel cards 73
Figure 52: Greece fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 75
Figure 53: Greece fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 76
Figure 54: Greece fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 76
Figure 55: The EKO, Jetoil, and Avin commercial fuel cards 77
Figure 56: Hungary fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 77
Figure 57: Hungary fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 78
Figure 58: Hungary fuel card issuers, total sites accepting card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 78
Figure 59: MOL's Gold, Blue, Green, and co-branded commercial fuel cards 79
Figure 60: Ireland fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 80
Figure 61: Ireland fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 81
Figure 62: Ireland fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 81
Figure 63: Texaco's commercial fuel card offer in Ireland 82
Figure 64: Maxol's commercial fuel card offer in Ireland 82
Figure 65: Italy fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 83
Figure 66: Italy fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 84
Figure 67: Italy fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 84
Figure 68: Q8, Esso, and Tamoil domestic commercial fuel cards in Italy 85
Figure 69: The new TotalErg card in Italy 85
Figure 70: Lithuania fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 86
Figure 71: Lithuania fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 87
Figure 72: Lithuania fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 87
Figure 73: Lukoil and Statoil's fuel cards in Lithuania 88
Figure 74: Luxembourg fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 89
Figure 75: Luxembourg fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 90
Figure 76: Luxembourg fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 90
Figure 77: Q8 Liberty Card and TOTAL Eurotrafic card 91
Figure 78: Netherlands fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 92
Figure 79: Netherlands fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 93
Figure 80: Netherlands fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 94
Figure 81: Travelcard and MTC 95
Figure 82: Norway fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 96
Figure 83: Norway fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 97
Figure 84: Norway fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 97
Figure 85: Poland fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 99
Figure 86: Poland fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 100
Figure 87: Poland fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 100
Figure 88: PKN Orlen Fleet Card and PKN Orlen/DKV commercial fuel card 101
Figure 89: Portugal fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 102
Figure 90: Portugal fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 103
Figure 91: Portugal fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 103
Figure 92: Cepsa branded Star and Eurotrafic fuel cards 104
Figure 93: Romania fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 105
Figure 94: Romania fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 106
Figure 95: Romania fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 106
Figure 96: The Petrom Card and Rompetrol Fill & Go commercial fuel card 107
Figure 97: Slovakia fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 108
Figure 98: Slovakia fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 109
Figure 99: Slovakia fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 109
Figure 100: Slovenia fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 111
Figure 101: Slovenia fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 112
Figure 102: Slovenia fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 112
Figure 103: Spain fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 113
Figure 104: Spain fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 114
Figure 105: Spain fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 114
Figure 106: Repsol's commercial fuel card offer in Spain 115
Figure 107: Sweden fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 116
Figure 108: Sweden fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 117
Figure 109: Sweden fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 117
Figure 110: The OKQ8 pre-paid, diesel, and station commercial fuel cards 118
Figure 111: Switzerland fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 119
Figure 112: Switzerland fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 120
Figure 113: Switzerland fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 120
Figure 114: The Migrol Company fuel card, and Coop B2C credit card 121
Figure 115: UK fuel card volumes, market share, and network acceptance, by competitor 122
Figure 116: UK fuel card volumes, and share of sites accepting, by competitor 123
Figure 117: UK fuel card issuers, total sites accepting fuel card, and acceptance partners, January 1, 2010 123
Figure 118: fuelGenie, Keyfuels, and Arval AllStar commercial fuel cards 124


TABLE OF TABLES
Table 1: Total value of fuel card sales (€m), and cards per CRT vehicle and per fleet vehicle, 2009 28
Table 2: Key operational car leasing companies, by country 40
Table 3: Fuel card volume purchases (m liters), by country, 2009–12e 125




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