Marketing and distribution
The liberalisation of energy markets in Germany forces suppliers to readjust in the areas of marketing and distribution as well, not necessarily on a short-term basis, but inevitably on a mid-term and long-term basis. In a liberalising market environment power and gas become products that have to be marketed accordingly. Since internal processes do not change overnight and restructuring measures have to be planned carefully, the time has come for a reorientation.
Since the first of January 2008 the incentive based regulation of the power sector and therefore a modified competition between stakeholders is in place. Additionally, the question of future orientation of energy suppliers is currently posed by the means of decreasing grid access charges. In response, several operational and strategic decisions have to be made.
Following the power market, the gas market is currently in a liberalising phase. Right now, we witness the literal quiet before the storm. But how will the competition for the end-customer develop on a mid- and long-term basis? How will end customers react to their new possibilities? Will they strive for new supply contracts faster because the inhibition threshold is already lowered by the liberalisation of the power market? Or will the rates of customer change stagnate after an initial boost? Where do suppliers position themselves and what will they offer in order to win new customers or at least not to lose customers? What measures do they take for the acquisition and the reacquisition of customers?
Can communities act as a customer of energy suppliers to a higher degree in the future and therefore take in account technical services or energy services and create an additional market for suppliers? Entering the market timely and securing supply sectors of attractive and adequate offers is of great importance to suppliers.
A majority of concession contracts for power and gas will be newly advertised between 2008 and 2011. This will require a positioning of the suppliers to the according communities and against the other competitors. However, a lot of suppliers maintain a low profile so far. Many communities even complain about a lack of competition. An early positioning, including the chance to secure long-term supply sectors, is of great importance, though.
