Mobil swears off petrol information service Informed Sources as ACCC Federal Court action looms

MOBIL has sworn off a petrol price information service for the next five years ahead of a landmark legal case by the ACCC relating to price collusion.

Cairns motorists filling up with unleaded petrol (ULP) endured their toughest month at the bowser in February, according the ...

PETROL company Mobil Oil Australia has pledged to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that it will not subscribe to retail petrol price information service Informed Sources for the next five years.

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The move comes the week after the ACCC instituted proceedings in the Federal Court against Informed Sources and the country’s biggest petrol retailers, BP, Caltex, Woolworths, Coles Express and 7-Eleven, over alleged price collusion.

Mobil has also agreed not to subscribe to any similar electronic retail petrol price information exchange. Should the company backtrack, the ACCC can take legal action against Mobil.

The Mobil brand returned to the Australian retail petrol market earlier this year after having all but disappeared in 2010 following the buyout of its 295 outlets by 7-Eleven.

As Mobil still does not operate the retail stores — 7-Eleven is understood to be paying Mobil to use its branding — the undertaking will not have any real effect unless the company plans a return to the retail petrol market.

Mobil was a subscriber to the Informed Sources service until October 2010.

The ACCC has accepted the undertaking from Mobil and has not included the petrol company in its Federal Court action.

Informed Sources managing director Alan Cadd told news.com.au: “This is not exactly a big step as Mobil does not currently retail petrol in Australia and has no stated objectives to retail in this country.”