SOCAR to launch new car service centers in Switzerland
By Aynur Jafarova
Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR plans to commission three car service centers under its own brand in Switzerland by late 2014, Trend agency reported with reference to SOCAR Energy Switzerland.
Two service centers will be opened in Valbella and Lommise on
October 22 and 24 and in Vaduz on November 5, as well as other
centers will be inaugurated in Walenstadt and Grono on January 7,
2015.
SOCAR, which is keen on expanding operations in the retail oil
products market abroad, is involved in exploring oil and gas
fields, producing, processing, and transporting oil, gas, and gas
condensate, marketing petroleum and petrochemical products in the
domestic and international markets, and supplying natural gas to
industrial and public sectors in Azerbaijan.
It has representative offices in Georgia, Turkey, Romania, Austria, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Britain, Iran, Germany and Ukraine, and trading companies in Switzerland, Singapore, Vietnam, Nigeria, and other countries.
SOCAR started its operation in Switzerland in September 2012 with commissioning its first petrol station in Zurich. In December, the first gas station under the SOCAR brand was opened in western Switzerland.
SOCAR is now selling classic fuels such as gasoline and diesel fuel in Switzerland. However, they are enriched with special additives that ensure optimal level of combustion which is important from an environmental point of view and in terms of the cost and performance of the internal combustion engine of the car.
SOCAR acquired all shares in Esso Schweiz GmbH and thus took
over Esso's network of petrol stations in Switzerland in July 2012.
The total cost of the assets acquired by SOCAR in Switzerland is
$330 million.
With the acquisition of Esso Schweiz, SOCAR received the retail
network, the company's division for marketing of fuel for
industrial and wholesale customers (the division sells household
fuel and bottled gas to independent distributors throughout
Switzerland).
SOCAR has also taken over the Wangen-Olten gas station group and a
number of others as well as joint ventures specializing in aircraft
refueling at Geneva and Zurich airports and the Swiss Provision and
Supply Company that controls joint ventures managing terminals and
pipelines.
SOCAR's revenues obtained in 2013 as a result of the activity in Switzerland amounted to 30.69 billion manats compared to 3.33 billion manats in 2012.