Polish oil giant PKN Orlen has signed an agreement to acquire the Austrian company Doppler Energie, which operates 266 fuel stations in Austria under the Turmöl brand.
In a statement on Tuesday, Orlen estimated the acquisition will give them a 10 percent share of the retail market and a 14 percent share of the wholesale market in Austria. Turmöl is the third-largest fuel station network operating in Austria.
The transaction should be completed after obtaining approval from anti-trust authorities, expected by the end of next year at the latest.
The sale figure has not been disclosed, but the terms of the agreement, including payment conditions and price settlement, “do not differ from commonly used terms in such agreements,” according to a statement by the Polish company.
In an interview with Polish commercial radio RMF FM, PKN Orlen CEO Daniel Obajtek explained that the company is waiting for the European Commission to approve the agreement. The CEO is confident that the approval process for the takeover of stations in the Austrian market will proceed smoothly since Orlen does not own any other retailer in the Austrian market.
According to Orlen’s information, nearly half of the acquired stations are self-service facilities, allowing customers to purchase fuel and make direct payments at the dispenser. Over 130 stations offer shopping options and 80 contain food outlets.
Additionally, the company being acquired by Orlen provides a network of electric vehicle charging stations under the Turmstrom brand, with 35 charging points in 29 locations. Austrocard, a company offering fuel cards for private and business customers accepted at over 500 locations in Austria will also be acquired as part of the transaction.
Obajtek said Orlen is investing “a significant amount of money” in retail sales, but there will not be an immediate rebranding of the stations in Austria because the priority is to first raise their standards to a premium level.
Orlen-branded stations are already present in Slovakia, Czechia and Germany.
