Thursday, February 18 2021 19:09

ArmInfo. One of the largest  multi-site companies in Armenia, SIL Concern, has acquired RAN OIL,  which owns a wide network of petrol stations in Armenia.  The  official representative of the company Anna Mkrtchyan said this. She  noted that the deal is at the last stage of closing, the terms of the  deal have not been announced.

To note, since 2019, SIL Concern's diversified business has  replenished with one more direction - the company began to import jet  fuel into the country, the concern began to deal with small supplies  of automotive fuel, and created its own fuel bases.

According to independent market experts, the acquisition of RAN OIL  will allow the concern to significantly expand the capabilities of  this direction, since RAN OIL, which has been operating in the fuel  market since 1993, has built an impressive infrastructure for Armenia  consisting of wholesale supplies, a technologically equipped fuel  base, an impressive network of filling stations, import of engine  oils and even spare parts. According to the company's website, since  2012, Ran Oil has become the official representative of the Russian  companies "Gazpromneft" and the Russian-Italian companies G-Energy in  Armenia. Since 2014, Ran Oil has become the official representative  of the Denckermann brand in Armenia.

To note, the multi-site company SIL Concern owns assets in the  financial sector - it controls OJSC ARMECONOMBANK, the insurance  company Sil Insurance, in the tourism sector it owns the online hotel  booking platform inLOBBY GmbH, the hotel business, in the production  of mineral and drinking water (SIL), as well as Maaza juices. Among  the assets of the company are TransService and Poliplast. The company  is engaged in development business, it owns a large shopping center  in the center of Yerevan "Russia - Mall".

SIL Concern is owned by the Sukiasyan brothers. The elder brother  Khachatur Sukiasyan is especially known as a politician and a  lawmaker of the Armenian parliament of several convocations. In 2008,  Khachatur Sukiasyan spoke openly and supported the candidacy of the  first president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan in the upcoming  presidential elections. After the events of March 1 (riots),  Sukiasyan had to pay for his political views. He was deprived of  parliamentary immunity, a criminal case was initiated against him,  which was then closed. But he had to abandon several businesses,  including the Bjni Mineral Water Plant, and the lawfulness of these  actions of the state is still disputed in judicial platforms.

To note, some opposition media have suspected the creation of a new  "fuel monopoly" under the deal. As the company's official  representative Anna Mkrtchyan noted on her Facebook page, on the  contrary, the deal will strengthen the competitive environment in the  gasoline import and sale market, improve the quality of products, and  keep fair prices. "Economic development is the result of competition,  and not of established monopolies, as it was in previous years," she  wrote. "I do not see the need to dwell on fabrications, political  manipulations, because our society has long known what the real  situation is. For those who are very concerned about this issue, I  would advise you to contact the former owners of RAN OIL, "Mkrtchyan  said.

Currently in Armenia the dominant positions in the automotive fuel  market (except for gas - methane and propane) are occupied by 2  companies - Rosneft Armenia and Flash, which account for almost 80%  of all services.