ORLEN expands network of filling stations in Europe

As of 1 December 2022, the ORLEN Group assumed the ownership of 79 sites that had until now been operated under the Lukoil brand. The ORLEN Group immediately started renaming the stations. The outlets will be transferred under the white-and-red colours and to the standards of ORLEN network by the end of March 2023. The remaining 64 sites in Hungary will then be taken over and renamed gradually by mid-2024. In Slovakia, the ORLEN Group is taking over about 39 MOL outlets that will be renamed by mid-2023. The ORLEN group will be among the four largest players on both markets.

“We are expanding our retail network in Europe. We are strengthening our presence in Slovakia, becoming one of the four largest fuel retailers operating in that market. We are also expanding our retail network into a new market, that of Hungary, where we have already established a wholesale presence. As a result of the successful expansion of our sales network, we ensure the security of fuel and energy supplies not only in Poland, but in the entire region of Central and Eastern Europe. Our commitment and market insight will allow us to offer new customers in Europe prime quality products and services tailored to their expectations. The ORLEN-branded stations will open their doors to Hungarian customers in early December,” says Daniel Obajtek, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PKN ORLEN.

Once the transactions are completed, the ORLEN Group will have over 230 outlets in Hungary and Slovakia. With 143 sites in Hungary and 91 sites in Slovakia, the ORLEN group will be among the four largest players on both markets.

“ORLEN is a strong international brand with almost 3,000 filling stations relying on the robust background and inspiring each other by sharing experience and innovations. In Czechia, we are the leader with 430 sites and are now about to reinforce our retail position in Slovakia and enter Hungary. Thus, we vigorously boost the local competition, which will benefit local customers, tourists, and international carriers. They will now have access to our modern Efecta and Verva fuels in other Central European markets,” says Tomasz Wiatrak, CEO of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group, which manages expansions to Slovakia and Hungary. He adds: “We will be among four largest players in Slovakia and we want to continue expanding and become number two. We want to continue growing in Hungary, too.”

With the latest acquisitions, ORLEN filling stations will be present in six European countries – Poland, Germany, Czechia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Hungary. The expansion to the Slovak and Hungarian markets means a crucial shift in ORLEN Group’s retail network development. ORLEN wants to operate three and a half thousand filling stations under the ORLEN brand by 2030. The share of foreign sites in the entire sales network is set to grow from 37 per cent to 45 per cent.