Bulgaria's Commission on Protection of Competition (KZK) has cleared the acquisition of five more filling stations by NIS Petrol EOOD, the Serbian unit of Russian energy giant Gazprom.
The sites are located in the villages of Priseltsi, Trud, Silistra and the cities of Varna and Pazardzhik.
NIS Petrol EOOD has so far obtained permission to acquire a total of 14 filling stations on Bulgarian territory through which it runs its fuel retail business.
NIS Petrol EOOD belongs to the Gazprom Group and its business activities include exploration, production, storage, logistics, retail trade, export and import of crude oil, LPG and petroleum products, according to Bulgaria's anti-trust watchdog.
According to the KZK, the insignificant market share controlled by NIS Petrol EOOD means that the acquisition will not allow the company to occupy a dominant position on the market or to obstruct efficient competition.
Bulgaria's anti-trust watchdog emphasizes that a distortion of competition is all the more unlikely because of the presence of several major filling station chains with a well-established brand name and reputation.
KZK's decision takes effect immediately.
After the acquisition, Gazprom will control a 0.6% share of the fuel retail market in Bulgaria.
Text: novinite.com