Fuel distributors, the cross-border meeting of three countries in Innsbruck
In recent days, representatives of road system operators from Germany, Austria and Alto Adige have met in Innsbruck to discuss beyond the borders of individual countries and define common political interests in relation to the petrol station sector. Despite the different situations present in the three countries, the representatives from Alto Adige, with the vice-president of the free distributors in the Alto Adige Tourism Services Trade Union Alex Pörnbacher at the summit, also underlined the need for effective collaboration: “Only if we remain united we will be able to face and overcome the challenges of the future,” said Pörnbacher. On the occasion of the meeting, the theme of “Cities – Suburbs” was also discussed, with particular attention to supply with mobility, the development of electric mobility and the topic of artificial intelligence in distributors. Although petrol station category managers see electromobility as a potential threat to the sector, their overall opinion is far from pessimistic. Because as long as electric cars are so expensive and consumers are so skeptical towards electromobility, what is needed above all is entrepreneurial foresight.
In Alto Adige, the petrol stations are located on a road that leads to a communication hub with good gastronomic offers. In Austria and Germany, moreover, the petrol station is increasingly the last remaining local supplier. Another point of discussion was the role of distributors as future mobility hubs. Experts analyzed how petrol stations can transform into multifunctional hubs capable of connecting different modes of transport and offering additional services. This transformation could make distributors central to Europe’s mobility infrastructure.
Hosting the event in Innsbruck were MP Rebecca Kirchbaumer and Clara Hochenegg from the Chamber of Economics, Logistics & Economic Circuits. Germany, however, was represented by Jochen Wilhelm of the German Federation of TIV Distributors
Image. The meeting of road plant managers in Innsbruck
