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First petrol station under GAZPROM brand opens in Romania

By the end of 2013, over 50 filling stations will be opened in Romania within the GAZPROM network development project

MOSCOW, December 25 (Itar-Tass) —— The first filling station under the GAZPROM brand has been opened in Romania by the Gazprom Neft subsidiary NIS (Naftna Industrija Srbije).

The station is located in Sibiu, 300 kilometres from Bucharest at International Highway E68 Bucharest-Budapest-Vienna.

By the end of 2013, over 50 filling stations will be opened in Romania within the GAZPROM network development project. NIS will operate GAZPROM petrol stations in the Balkans, the company said in a statement.

Romania is the second European country where GAZPROM petrol stations began operating. On December 19, the first GAZPROM station was opened in Serbia. The retail development under the new brand is planned also in Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the end of 2013 the GAZPROM petrol stations network in the Balkans will consist of approximately 100 petrol stations.

According to the Gazprom Neft’s retail business strategy GAZPROM petrol stations network will be developed in the premium market segment. The high-quality fuel and lubricants, as well as a wide range of related products will be sold at GAZPROM filling stations. The format of the petrol stations includes shops, restaurants and cafes, customers can also use other services such as wireless Internet access.

“The development of the GAZPROM petrol stations network in the Balkans is our strategic goal. We plan to expand presence in Serbia and Romania, and the next step is to enter the Bulgarian market. I am confident that in the nearest future the GAZPROM retail network will become widely known in the Balkans and take leadership in the market,” Alexander Dyukov, Chairman of Gazprom Neft Management Board, stated.

NIS is one of the largest, vertically integrated oil and gas companies in Southeast Europe, engaged in the exploration, production, and refining of oil and gas, as well as in the marketing of petroleum products. Major shareholders are Gazprom Neft (56.5 percent) and the Serbian government. The company owns two oil refineries, with total refining capacity of 7.3 million tons per year in Pancevo and Novi Sad, a network of 350 filling stations under the NIS Petrol brand, and numerous oil depots. NIS operates in several European countries including Serbia, Hungary, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and participates in exploitation projects in Angola, Gazprom Neft said.

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