Over the past month, the number of offers for the sale of gas stations has significantly increased. Owners have put more than 150 gas stations on the market, with prices ranging from 1 to 150 million rubles. Sales were initiated by both independent entrepreneurs and individual stations of large oil corporations. This was reported by the Izvestia newspaper.
According to the publication, the main reason for the sell-off was the deteriorating economics of independent gas stations. Owners face high fuel purchase costs, declining margins, and increasing debt burden.
Stations are for sale in dozens of regions, including Bryansk, Kursk, Samara, Ivanovo, Tambov, Ryazan, Novosibirsk, Vladimir, and Orenburg regions. The offers include both individual gas stations and entire networks. For example, a network of 13 gas stations selling gasoline, diesel, and liquefied gas is for sale in Ufa.
Large oil companies are also selling their assets. Gazprom's non-core assets include gas stations in Astrakhan, Rostov, Tambov, and Nizhny Novgorod regions. Lukoil has put up for sale stations in Tver, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk, Kaluga regions, and Perm Krai.
At the same time, representatives of Gazprom GNP Holding clarified that the sale of some assets is not related to the current situation in the fuel market, but to planned network optimization. The company is gradually decommissioning unprofitable stations and focusing on the most efficient facilities.
The situation has most seriously affected independent gas stations that do not have their own refining capacities. Such companies are forced to buy fuel on the exchange or from traders at higher prices, which reduces their ability to compete with networks of large oil companies.
Market participants note that many private gas stations are faced with a choice: temporarily suspend operations or sell the business. According to industry representatives, a significant portion of independent gas stations, which account for about 60% of the Russian market, are experiencing problems.
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