Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Philadelphia drivers looking to save a few bucks at the pump streamed into the city\u2019s newest Freedom Fuel station Friday afternoon, even while the station\u2019s deep discounts remain a mystery. <\/p>\n
The station, located in Bustleton<\/a> on Roosevelt Boulevard, is one of four new Freedom Fuel locations added this week. The other three are in New Jersey, including one all the way up in Morris County.<\/p>\n The gas network, which was promoted by both the White House and President Donald Trump<\/a> last month, is now up to 29 stations across the Philadelphia region, stretching east to the Jersey Shore<\/a>. <\/p>\n Nearly all the pumps were full at Philly\u2019s newest Freedom Fuel spot Friday afternoon, with the station selling a gallon of regular gas for $3.79 a gallon. That\u2019s nearly 35 cents a gallon less than a Wawa<\/a> just up Roosevelt Boulevard, where a gallon of regular gas went for $4.13 on Friday. <\/p>\n A nearby Lukoil was a bit closer to Freedom Fuel\u2019s prices, offering a gallon of regular gas for $3.99. <\/p>\n An enduring mystery remains how Freedom Fuel has been able to consistently offer lower prices than nearby competitors. <\/p>\n Experts told The Inquirer<\/a> Freedom Fuel was likely suffering losses for selling fuel at such a low price, especially since many of the company\u2019s stations don\u2019t have robust convenience stores or car washes to create revenue. <\/p>\n \u201cIt becomes unsustainable,\u201d Eliezer Fich, a finance professor at Drexel University<\/a>\u2019s LeBow College of Business, told The Inquirer last month. \u201cUnless prices go down. But if they do, they go down for everybody.\u201d <\/p>\n According to public records, the newest Freedom Fuel station is owned by Celik Plaza II l.l.c., which had previously run it under a \u201cRed Lion Fuel\u201d banner. Engin Celik, who is listed as a principal with the company, according to documents reviewed by The Inquirer, did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n Philly Freedom Fuel station faces closure after failing inspection<\/p>\n While Freedom Fuel is adding locations, it could soon lose one in Philadelphia. <\/p>\n The station on Bustleton Avenue, one of at least six locations linked to Cherry Hill<\/a> developer Shamikh Kazmi and his brother Syed Kazmi, has an expired fuel dispensing license and failed an inspection last week, according to city records. <\/p>\n If unresolved, the station could be forced to close by Sept. 4, according to a city spokesperson. <\/p>\n The Kazmi brothers, who have been embroiled in at least two lawsuits related to previous gas station ventures<\/a>, could not be reached for comment. <\/p>\n Freedom Fuel owners remain quiet<\/p>\n While Freedom Fuel\u2019s launch was proudly promoted last month by Trump, the company\u2019s owners have remained quiet about the enterprise and how they\u2019re able to maintain low fuel prices. <\/p>\n A White House spokesperson previously told The Inquirer Freedom Fuel is a private company receiving no government subsidies and not accessing fuel at a lower cost. <\/p>\n \u201cFreedom Fuel Network is a privately owned and proudly patriotic company \u2014 along with its convenience store operators, haulers, sign companies, and operational partners \u2014 that answered President Trump\u2019s call to action to lower prices at the pump,\u201d the company said in a statement on its website. <\/p>\n Baltimore Ravens assistant coach Randy Brown, the former mayor of Evesham Township, N.J., and a self-proclaimed \u201cproud Trump supporter,\u201d<\/a> signed Freedom Fuel\u2019s certificate of formation in Delaware on June 23. Brown has declined to comment on the enterprise.<\/p>\n