OREANDA-NEWS. December 12, 2007. In the nearest future, the petrol stations network of TNK-BP is to expand from 40 to 75. Last week, TNK-BP Ukraine group filed an application to the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine requesting to approve the purchase of the petrol stations network operating under the brand of Golden Guepard, UFC-Capital reports.  According to Svetlana Moroz, deputy chair of the Antimonopoly Committee, there should be no problems with agreeing this deal: "I believe that as we have already agreed its lease, there should be no problems with agreeing its purchase." The permission to lease 36 petrol stations and 2 petroleum storage depots that operate in Kiev and Kiev region and owned by Golden Guepard LLC, was granted by the Antimonopoly Committee to Kersher LLC on November 16. This company, registered in a number of offshore zones, manages 6 petrol stations in Kiev and is a part of TNK-BP Ukraine. In future, Kersher is planning to develop two new business areas: jobber program management and direct retail sales of fuel to the final consumers. The acquisition of petrol stations owned by Guepard will cost to TNK-BP Ukraine $70 mn, as minimum, based upon the fact that on the average the modern petrol station costs approximately $2-3 mn, as minimum, depending upon its location. It is interesting that the co-owners of Golden Mandarin holding, including also Golden Guepard petrol stations,  Victor Terekh and Alexander Zhuravel – owe to TNK-BP Ukraine the creation of their petrol stations business. Immediately after entering the Ukrainian market TNK-BP commenced active development of the retail business due to jobber program implementation that Golden Guepard owners also joined.

However, later, facing the problem of oil products quality at jobber petrol stations, TNK-BP Ukraine revised their retail business development and focused at their own petrol stations network roll-out. To all appearances, the acquisition of Golden Guepard petrol stations will be a starting point for TNK-BP advance on small retail networks. Furthermore, TNK-BP Ukraine does not conceal the fact that they are carrying out negotiations on purchase of the petrol stations networks with several companies in parallel.