29/03/2026
To our valued customers,
We don’t usually respond to negative comments on social media, but given the current turbulence in fuel prices, we feel it’s important to clarify a few points.
As a small independent retailer, the price we charge is directly linked to the weekly rate we pay our supplier. We operate on what’s known as a “weekly lag,” meaning we pay the average price from the previous seven days. Larger retailers, with greater buying power, often have longer lags—sometimes two weeks or more—which is why their prices may stay lower for longer during certain periods.
When wholesale prices are falling, some retailers may delay passing those reductions on. However, we cannot afford to undercut larger competitors, as doing so would put our business at serious risk. Quite simply, we don’t have the capacity to compete in a price war.
Following the outbreak of war, we held our prices steady for the first week. After that, our costs increased significantly—by 20.08p, then 8.36p the following week, and then a further 14.45p, so that's an increase of 42.89p, our margin has not changed even though we have to find the extra money to pay for the tanker prior to selling it.
More recently, we continued selling fuel at the previous week’s price until that stock was depleted, which is why our latest increase occurred midweek.
We kindly ask that you don’t label us unfairly. We are doing our best to support both our customers and the wider village. These price increases are completely beyond our control, and while our turnover has dropped, our overheads have not. Like many other small businesses from generally all sectors, our overheads have increased in excess of £100,000 this financial year alone.
We’ve proudly served Ruskington for over 54 years and remain committed to continuing through these challenging times.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Chris & Paul Baxter
On a lighter note, it’s worth putting things into perspective…
Beer is costing on average around £8 per litre. Coffee? That ranges from about £10 per litre at budget spots, up to £16 at major chains, and even £22 at some independent cafés.
And the big difference? None of those are going to fuel your vehicle to get you to work and pay for the nicer things in life!
Just a little food for thought ☕️🍺
