In Europe, apart from Spain, Repsol YPF operates in Portugal, the south of France and Morocco. The strategy followed in all these countries focuses on offering the customer a product of maximum quality and excellent service, which allows the Repsol YPF product range to stand out from that of other operators.

In Spain, Repsol YPF distributes bottled, bulk and piped LPG through distribution networks. The distribution of bottled LPG is carried out via a network of 850 exclusive distributors with national coverage, delivering the product to the door within a period of 48 hours from the time the order is made.

In Spain, the company sells bottled LPG to approximately 12 million customers, which represents practically 100% of the market, and makes Repsol Butane one of the largest European distributors of bottled LPG in terms of volume and turnover.

Repsol recently launched a new 6 kg bottle of butane gas directed to the camping and leisure market and sold through a new channel of service stations and sales outlets.

LPG is also sold in bulk, either by tanker lorries to individual customers or through distribution networks to residential, commercial and industrial consumers. These sales represent 29% of the total.

he selling price of bottled LPG in Spain has been regulated since 1993 by a maximum price system, which places the end price at 50% to 60% of the average European price (and the Spanish price includes delivery to the door, whereas the European average refers only to the price at sales outlet).

This system will continue until the regulator considers there to be sufficient competition.

However, since October 1999, the price of LPG in bottles of over 8 kg has been set at 83.4 ptas/kg for the next 12 months.  The special tax has been removed and the tax on added value reduced (from 16% to 7%).

Moreover, since 1999, bottled LPG may be sold at service stations with a minimum discount of 5% on the maximum price for home delivery.

In France and Portugal, Repsol YPF distributes bottled and bulk LPG, selling 4,000 tons, and 41,000 tons respectively. Distribution of bottled LPG in these two countries is mixed, combining sale at sales outlets and an emphasis on home delivery.

The French and Portuguese markets are fully liberalised, and operators fix the price freely (approximately double that of the Spanish market), based on international feedstock prices, internal distribution costs, and the level of competition.

Since 1998, Repsol has operated in Morocco through National Gaz, a bottled LPG distribution company with sales of around 22,000 Mt/year. Once again, distribution is mixed, this time between sale at direct outlets and through exclusive distributors. The price of bottled LPG is government subsidised and regulated, with a set margin for each link in the distribution chain, from producer or importer to the point of sale.