MOL Group has successfully completed the acquisition of ENI´s Czech and Slovak downstream business, including retail network under Agip brand. The acquisition includes 125 service stations in the Czech Republic and 41 service stations in Slovakia. This step confirms MOL Group’s leading role in CEE – in Czech Republic the company becomes second largest retail player and in Slovakia further improves its countrywide coverage. Agip service station in both countries will be rebranded, in the Czech Republic mostly to MOL brand and in Slovakia to Slovnaft brand.
"This transaction significantly contributes to the MOL Group’s strategy of increasing our presence in the CEE. We see a great potential in leveraging the newly acquired ENI selling points in line with our new Retail concept: we envisage to become customers’ obvious choice in fuel and in convenience retailing. To reach this goal our mission is to provide relevant high quality products and services at our service stations to improve the customer experience.” said Lars Höglund, Senior Vice President, MOL Group Retail.
As a result of this transaction and an acquisition of Lukoil Ceska Republika’s service stations at the end of 2014, MOL Group will now own the total number of 316 service stations in the Czech Republic. The company continues in a process of the retail rebranding towards uniting the whole network under two brands – MOL and Pap Oil. By the end of the year, MOL plans to offer its quality fuel and services on more than 80 MOL service stations in the Czech Republic including almost 40 newly acquired service stations and 44 former Lukoil service stations. As a result of current acquisitions, the new organization will belong to the 10 biggest companies on the Czech market.
In Slovakia MOL Group will operate 253 service stations under Slovnaft brand. Rebranding of newly acquired service stations will start in autumn. Rebranding process should be finished in 2016.
The acquisition in both countries, a share deal, includes also the wholesale activities and aviation business as well as taking over the personnel of the headquarters. It excludes, however, the ENI business of branded wholesale lubricants and specialties.
Earlier this year MOL Group completed the acquisition of 42 ENI service stations in Romania.
About MOL Group
MOL Group is an integrated, independent, international oil and gas company, headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. It is active in over 40 countries with a dynamic international workforce of 27,000 people and a track record of more than 100 years in the industry. MOL’s exploration and production activities are supported by more than 75 years’ experience in the hydrocarbon field. At the moment, there are production activities in 8 countries and exploration assets in 14 countries. MOL Group operates four refineries and two petrochemicals plants, under integrated supply chain management, in Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia, and owns a network of more nearly 2,000 service stations across 11 countries in Central & South Eastern Europe.
About ENI
Eni is an integrated company that operates across the entire energy chain, employing some 78,000 people in 90 countries around the world. Scientific research and technological innovation are at the heart of its strategies for sustainable development.
Eni’s excellent portfolio of conventional oil assets with competitive costs and the strong resource base with options for anticipated monetization ensure a robust value generation at Eni’s upstream activity. The vertical integration provided by the large presence in the gas and lng markets, and the know-how in refining and chemical sectors enable the company to capture synergies and catch joint opportunities and projects in the marketplace.