Chevron Ranks as Most Powerful Brand for Second Year in a Row, According to OPIS.

WALL, N.J. -- Last year saw gasoline prices eclipse the $3.00 mark for the first time ever, putting the industry in the forefront of the media and bitter consumers. Despite claims that brand loyalty no longer exists some brands were able to extract a higher price over their direct competitors.

The key questions to brand power are whether a particular flag can obtain a premium for its product in an increasingly more competitive landscape, and does an investment in one brand return more than an investment in another brand.

For the second straight year, Oil Price Information Service (OPIS), has just released its Brand Power Ranking Report (http://www.opisnet.com/retail/pandemonium_pr022106.asp) which ranks the price differentials of some of the most influential gasoline retailers.

Retail data in this report shows that Chevron was the most powerful brand in terms of pricing power in 2005. The average Chevron station was able to extract an extra 1.94 cts per gal from its customer over what the direct competition was charging at the pump. Despite the impressive differential, the Chevron brand ranked 6th in overall national margins and had the best margin in only one state. This indicates that the Chevron flag fly's in more competitive markets than those brands which had higher margins.

The Texaco Brand which was number one in 2003 jumped from the fourth spot last year to the second spot in 2005. Texaco also finished one spot lower in terms of national brand margins than Chevron, but had the best branded margins in a whopping 10 states. The Texaco flag still retains a lot of clout with consumers in many markets despite being neglected over the last few years.

Some other major flags that saw their rankings jump from the previous year include, Mobil, Exxon, Marathon Ashland, Fina, Sinclair & Gulf. Brands showing a decline in rankings include Shell, BP, Sunoco, Conoco, Phillips 66, 76, Tesoro, Citgo, Mapco and Irving.

Irving, however, had the best rack-to-retail margins in the country, mostly benefiting from the locations in which its sites reside. The Exxon and Mobil flags also saw impressive margins ranking third and fourth in national margins respectively. Geography helped these flags -- each one had the best margins in 11 states.

At the opposite end of the spectrum were those brands who priced very aggressively against their competition. Arco was the only traditional retailer to be ranked in the bottom twenty. Most of the others included supermarket chains such as Safeway, Kroger, Stop & Shop and Albertsons or wholesale warehouse clubs such as Costco, BJ's or Sam's Club. Other aggressive players were new era convenience store chains such as Wawa, Sheetz, Maverik and Racetrac. Some of these flags averaged a price differential that was nearly 10 cts per gal less than those brands they directly competed against. Not surprisingly these brands finished at the bottom in terms of rack-to-retail margin rankings as well.

It is important to note that the Brand Power Rankings reflect how the flags retail price compares against the retail prices of stations in the direct trade area. The rack-to-retail margins examine the average profits of the brand at each of its stations. The Brand Power Rankings are more reflective of what type of value the brand puts on itself, and the price differential that the consumer is willing to pay to shop at the station.

Among the influential gasoline retailers listed in the OPIS Brand Power Ranking Report are Arco, Rotten Robbie, Sam's Club, Wawa, Costco, Aloha, BJ's, Safeway, Murphy USA, Maverik, Meijer, Royal Farms, Racetrac, Kroger, Stop & Shop, Miristar, Weigel, Albertsons, Sheetz, Optima, Hess, Thornton Oil, Getty, Gate, QuikTrip, Clark, Valero, Gas America, Mapco, Gulf, Speedway, Citgo, Tesoro, PDQ 76, Phillips 66, Casey's, Sinclair, Crown, Fina, Kum & Go, Conoco, Marathon, Exxon, Mobil, Sunoco and more.

The OPIS Brand Power Ranking Report is part of "Pandemonium at the Pump". A brand new 140 page detailed report that examines the entire supply chain and includes statistics on NYMEX data, supply & demand information, refining margins, wholesale trends, retail margins, significant industry news and more.

To get your copy of the full report, call toll-free 1-888-301-2645 or visit http://www.opisnet.com/retail/pandemonium_pr022106.asp.

OPIS is the principal provider of downstream oil industry news, spot, rack (wholesale) and retail gasoline prices, providing more than 100,000 prices a day to thousands of traders, marketers, and end-users. More than 1 billion gallons of fuel are sold annually in the U.S. based on OPIS prices. For more information, visit http://www.opisnet.com/index_pandemoniumpr.asp.