private Investors buy out all statoil and shell stations in Ireland

Morlar

Just caught this on rte.ie/news :

Irish investors buy Statoil stations

21 June 2006 14:43

A group of Irish investors have bought Statoil's petrol stations in Ireland for a sum estimated to be €280 million.

Last year, the same investors, the Topaz Energy Group, bought the Shell stations in Ireland.
. . . .

Topaz will also acquire worldwide rights to the Fareplay brand, which is the leading forecourt retailing brand in Ireland.

I am just posting this to get other peoples opinions on the situation - mine would be that its not great for competition if one company, or group of investors, owns & controls competing brands behind the scenes particularly regards petrol stations who are not exactly cut-throat competitive at the best of times.

It would be better for competition and keeping prices down to have different large companies offering fuel in direct compeitition with each other.

I am wondering if there is any anti-monopoly type legislation in place that would prevent the same group from buying up any further available fuel supply outlets in the republic. Any one else bothered by this ?

unkel

Morlar wrote:

I am just posting this to get other peoples opinions on the situation - mine would be that its not great for competition if one company, or group of investors, owns & controls competing brands behind the scenes particularly regards petrol stations who are not exactly cut-throat competitive at the best of times

Agree. Hopefully this will be an incentive for the likes of Tesco to step (further) into the market

Stark

I wonder if you'll still be able to use Statoil fuel cards.

Orlee

My local shell is up for sale as a site for appartments and the shell on the stillorgan dual carriage way has already been sold and they're putting up appartments soon. It's weird!

Big Balls

I wonder will they bring in RON 98!!!!!!!!

mike65

I'm moving this to commuting/transport as I think you'll get a more considered response over there!

Mike.

event

unkel wrote:

Agree. Hopefully this will be an incentive for the likes of Tesco to step (further) into the market

you do realise that this will cause more and more smaller petrol stations to close, leaving only massive service stations open?

Nuttzz

The are a number of shell stations for sales as residential sites, I would wager that a number of the statoil stations will be sold for housing too, these deals are more about real estate than selling fuel IMO

Diaspora

The Statoil garages are unlikely to be disposed of for redevelopment as much as the Shell portfolio was for the simple reason that Statoil as late entrants to the market were able to select larger sites and develop the type of petrol station that is viable because it has a large throughput and a large retail unit.

Unlike Shell who developed more organically in garages that never received large redevelopment.

I anticipate the entire operation will be rebranded after the Rossport controversy

Morlar

Presumably at some point they did a feasibility study to see if those areas could support a pertol station so if they start closing them down to start building apartments for people with cars it will mean those people as well as everybody already living there will have less and less choice - either that or have to travel further afield to get petrol at a cheaper price.

monument

Diaspora wrote:

I anticipate the entire operation will be rebranded after the Rossport controversy

On RTE1 radio news at one, they said they would be doing so maybe in about 12 months or so, the reason was to make one Irish brand. I dont think the interviewer asked about Rossport at all.

Orlee wrote:

My local shell is up for sale as a site for appartments and the shell on the stillorgan dual carriage way has already been sold and they're putting up appartments soon. It's weird!

It's not weird at all. For some people, it's not about the long term. Should I say, some people have a history of buying companies then striping them for the short-term profit.

paulm17781

Orlee wrote:

My local shell is up for sale as a site for appartments and the shell on the stillorgan dual carriage way has already been sold and they're putting up appartments soon. It's weird!

Texaco at the Blackrock clinic is gone too.

icdg

They apparently have the long-term right to use the Shell brand and are being supplied Shell fuel. Doesn't way what rights they have re the Statoil brand, though they are getting permanent ownership of the Fairplay one. Aside from the Shell E& P Ireland controversy (which always was, and really is a different operation altogether, being descended from the Irish company Enterprise Oil) having damaged the brand, the easiest thing to would seem to use Shell for the stations and Fairplay for ths shops?

Looks like Chevron will be selling off Texaco Ireland fairly shortly too, and with Exxon Mobil/Esso concentrating on Dublin, seems the time is ripe for Maxol / Emo / Tedcastle's to expand - in fact I have gone on drives and seen how many Maxols there is in certain areas...

And we haven't mentioned Tesco. And one day, maybe, the intermitent rumours regarding Asda's possible arrival may come to pass...

murphaph

At the end of the day, the margins at the pump are very tight (just like fags and the Lotto-only realy sold to get you in the shop to buy profitable goods!) so it's unsurprising if petrol stations are redeveloped into ground flor retail with accomodation units above. People are going to have to drive further for fuel. The apartments will probably all have parking spaces too, so more cars on the road with fewer places to fill up.:(

Brian CivilEng

What does this mean for the Fareplay brand outside of Ireland, Topaz now own the international rights to it, so will Statoils in Norway have to rebrand their forecourts?

monument

icdg wrote:

Aside from the Shell E& P Ireland controversy (which always was, and really is a different operation altogether, being descended from the Irish company Enterprise Oil)...

When it descended, it really ascended to Shell. So the forecourts were until recently owned by the same entity, or parent company, or whatever.