Orlen to rebrand fuel stations in Hungary, Slovakia

A total of 185 petrol stations in Slovakia and Hungary being taken over by Polish oil and gas company PKN Orlen will change their brand into the Polish one including 79 stations currently branded as Lukoil, Orlen has announced.

The Orlen Group merged with its smaller peer Lotos and in July 2020 the European Commission approved the merger under the condition that certain divestments are carried out. As part of the spin-off the MOL Group, a Hungarian oil and gas company, purchased 417 petrol stations from Lotos while Orlen bought 144 petrol stations operated by MOL in Hungary and 41 in Slovakia

Orlen announced on Friday that all 185 petrol stations acquired from MOL will be rebranded, including 79 currently using the Russian Lukoil brand.

Orlen also said its new stations in Central Europe are key to the development of its retail network. The company explained that by taking over these stations the share of foreign stations in its network would increase to 45 percent in 2030 from the current 37 percent.

Following the transaction, Orlen will gain a 7-percent share of the Hungarian market, putting it in fourth place in terms of the number of stations in Hungary. In Slovakia, Orlen will increase its number of stations to over 60.