OREANDA-NEWS. April 17, 2013. Rosneft and Pirelli signed a Protocol of Understanding for the construction of Pirelli’s flagship Premium tyre store in Russia, which will be located within the new Rosneft flagship filling station in Sochi. The Protocol also envisages the subsequent development of other points of sale at selected Rosneft filling stations and joint marketing activity “Safe Road with Rosneft and Pirelli” (“Safe&Go”).

The Protocol - signed by Igor Sechin, Rosneft President and Chairman of the Management Board, and Marco Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli’s Chairman and CEO – pushes forward the companies’ strategic marketing and commercial agreement signed by the parties in December 2012.

The flagship store, branded “PZero Platinum”, should be completed in the fourth quarter of this year and will be located within Rosneft flagship petrol station in the city of Sochi, on the Black Sea coast in the region of Krasnodar. As already announced, the groups will initially focus on this region and take advantage of the exposure provided by 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, of which Rosneft is a partner.

Other similar points of sale will follow at Rosneft stations in locations offering access to Premium customers. As part of the Protocol, the companies also plan a joint marketing activity “Safe Road with Rosneft and Pirelli” (“Safe&Go”) that envisages tyre check-ups for Rosneft filling stations’ clients.

Commenting on the signing, Igor Sechin said: “The Protocol signed today underscores the parties’ commitment to long-term cooperation. We are delighted to develop our retail network in partnership with Pirelli – one of the world’s leaders in tyre production. We believe implementation of Pirelli’s production and services will make Rosneft filling stations even more appealing to customers and thus will make the partnership beneficial for both Rosneft and Pirelli.”

“For Pirelli, Russia is a key growth market and having a local partner as prestigious as Rosneft will enable us to reach, with their guidance and support, every valuable corner of the country effectively and relatively quickly,” said Marco Tronchetti Provera.