Green light for the expansion of MyAuchan in all Petrom gas stations | Progresiv

The Competition Council has approved the extension of the partnership between Auchan Retail and the OMV-Petrom group aiming to open MyAuchan stores within Petrom stations. However, the representatives of the two companies claim that they have not completed the negotiations for the implementation of this project.

"Following the analysis of this economic concentration, the Competition Council found that the proposed operation does not raise significant obstacles to effective competition on the Romanian market or on a substantial part of it and there are no serious doubts about its compatibility with a normal competitive environment", it is specified in the competition authority’s report.

The partnership between Auchan Retail and the OMV-Petrom group was initiated in 2017 with a pilot phase in which MyAuchan convenience stores were opened in 15 Petrom stations. In early 2019, the two companies announced they wanted to develop the project and agreed a Memorandum of Understanding that expresses the intention of both parties to discuss the extension of the partnership. “Obtaining approval from the Competition Council is a necessary step in this process. Currently, negotiations are in progress, the implementation of the partnership being conditional on the completion of these negotiations", said OMV-Petrom representatives.

During this time, the French from Auchan continue to expand the chain of proximity stores independent of Petrom, currently having 8 units at national level - 6 in Bucharest, one in Craiova and one in Cluj-Napoca - in addition to those in the 15 gas stations.