New buyer: 56 OMV filling stations sold to PKN ORLEN
November 18, 2010 - 6:00 pm (CET)
- OMV is selling 56 filling stations in the German states of Thuringia and Saxony to a subsidiary of the Polish oil group PKN ORLEN
- The sale will allow OMV to pursue the strategic goal of focusing business activities on southern Germany
- ORLEN Deutschland GmbH will purchase and operate the newly acquired filling stations under its own brand
- Both companies expect the transaction to be approved fast by all relevant antitrust authorities
OMV Deutschland GmbH and ORLEN Deutschland GmbH signed the agreement on the sale of 56 OMV filling stations in the German states of Thuringia and Saxony on November 17, 2010. OMV decided to sign an agreement with a new buyer because it seemed unlikely that original plans to sell these filling stations to TOTAL would be realised in the foreseeable future due to the opposition from the German Federal Cartels Office (Bundeskartellamt). The transaction still needs to be approved by the Bundeskartellamt. OMV and PKN ORLEN are counting on rapid antitrust approval, and the filling stations will be handed over immediately afterwards. ORLEN will continue to operate the filling stations under its own brand. The two companies have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
In April 2009 the Bundeskartellamt vetoed the sale of 59 OMV filling stations in Thuringia and Saxony (three filling stations have been closed down since then) to the French oil group TOTAL. Following an initial positive verdict from the Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht) of Düsseldorf, a sale to TOTAL was vetoed for a second time by the Bundeskartellamt when it lodged an appeal at the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof). When it became clear to OMV that the proceedings with the original participants were unlikely to be resolved soon, the leading energy Group in the European growth belt decided to seek a new buyer.
This transaction enables both OMV Deutschland GmbH and ORLEN Deutschland GmbH to advance their strategic goals. The current filling station partners and customers will also benefit from the sale since the filling stations will continue to be operated by ORLEN. OMV and PKN ORLEN are confident that the relevant antitrust authorities will quickly approve the transaction.
OMV currently operates 338 filling stations primarily in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The company’s priority is to ensure further qualitative growth with a focus on southern Germany. In view of this objective OMV is focusing on its existing premium locations and plans to extend its role as a leading provider of quality products. This will further safeguard OMV’s strong market position in southern Germany.
Background information:
History
As part of its investment and growth strategy for Germany, OMV announced in May 2008 that it would develop a sharper market focus and increase the efficiency of its network. The sale of 59 OMV filling stations in Thuringia and Saxony was therefore expected to ensure the company’s competitiveness and ongoing success in southern Germany. In April 2009, the Bundeskartellamt notified OMV that the sale to TOTAL violated antitrust laws. On the basis of the decision by the Bundeskartellamt, OMV and TOTAL lodged an official appeal at the Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf, which in August 2010 declared the takeover of OMV filling stations by TOTAL as admissible. In September 2010 the Bundeskartellamt lodged an appeal against this ruling at the Federal Court of Justice.
OMV Deutschland GmbH
OMV Deutschland currently operates around 400 filling stations, of which 260 are located in Bavaria. This represents a market share of around 12%. Further filling stations are located in Saxony, Thuringia, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse. As well as filling stations, OMV acquired a 45% stake in Bayernoil Raffinerie GmbH in 2003 and increased its stake in Trans Alpine Pipeline to 25%. OMV has an annual processing capacity of 8.2 million tonnes and operates 43% of Bavaria’s refinery capacity. It is therefore the most important provider of mineral-oil products.
OMV Aktiengesellschaft
With Group sales of EUR 17.92 bn and a workforce of 34,676 employees in 2009, OMV Aktiengesellschaft is one of Austria’s largest listed industrial companies. As the leading energy Group in the European growth belt, OMV is active in Refining & Marketing (R&M) in 12 countries. In Exploration & Production (E&P) OMV is active in 16 countries on four continents. In Gas & Power (G&P) OMV sells approximately 13 bcm gas per year. Through its 2,000 km long gas pipeline network in Austria G&P transports approximately 75 bcm gas annually. OMV’s Central European Gas Hub is with around 23 bcm annual trading volume one of the most important gas hubs in Continental Europe.
OMV is the leading energy Group in the European growth belt with oil and gas reserves of approximately 1.19 bn boe, daily production of around 316,000 boe in Q3/10 and an annual refining capacity of approximately 26 mn t. OMV now has 2,310 filling stations as of Q3/10. The market share of the group in the R&M business segment in the Danube Region is now 20%.
OMV further strengthened its leading position in the European growth belt through the acquisition of a stake in of Petrol Ofisi, Turkey’s leading company in the retail and commercial business.
Under its 3plus strategy, OMV combines the strengths of its E&P, G&P and R&M business units in order to ensure that it provides the best possible supply service to its three core markets of Central and Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe and Turkey. OMV uses the synergies that result from the combination of these strengths to extend its supply chain from oil and gas through to electricity and eventually renewable energy.
Sustainability
OMV is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, and an active supporter to the values enshrined in its Code of Conduct. These include a strong sense of responsibility towards the social and natural environment, especially in economically weak regions. OMV continuously addresses economic, environmental and social issues related to its business in a responsible manner. The Company reports on its activities in a sustainability report in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines. This report is published at the same time as the annual report.