Bulgaria OKs Shell’s Acquisition Of Litex Commerce’s Filling Stations

Bulgaria’s competition authority announced on Tuesday, December 15, that it gave the green light to fuel retailer Shell Bulgaria to acquire four filling stations owned by local Litex Commerce but operating under the Shell brand.

The acquisition of the filling stations will not result in the establishment or strengthening of a dominant position on the local market, the Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) stated in its decision published on the website of the antitrust authority.

The notified transaction does not lead to a change of the entity which currently controls the filling stations. Shell Bulgaria will continue to operate them already as an owner, the CPC noted.

The regulator’s decision can be appealed before Sofia Region Administrative Court within 14 days of its publication.

Shell entered the Bulgarian market in 1991. The company currently has a network of around 100 filling stations in the country, of which it owns 80, while the rest are subject to franchise agreements.

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