Bulgarian branch of Gazprom Oil - NIS Petrol plans to buy 11 more petrol stations in the country, according to a message to the Commission for Protection of Competition for upcoming concentration. The new sites are now owned by OMV Bulgaria, Burgas-based Bultrans Oil and Plovdiv-based Light Commerce. Source explained that four of the stations are owned by OMV Bulgaria. Some of the other in the package will become property of the company, and others would be rented. Two of them have operated under franchise with other chains on the Bulgarian market. With the purchase of new stations, the company will have 35 sites and 12 terrains. Four of the plots are located on Trakia Highway and green construction is expected to begin this year.
Source: Capital (13.02.2014)

Bulgaria’s gross external debt down by almost EUR 100 million y/y Gross External Debt of Bulgaria decreased by 0.2% compared to the end of 2013 and amounted to EUR 37.268 billion or 90.4% of GDP at the end of January 2014, according to BNB. Compared to the first month of 2013, the decrease amounted to 0.3%. In December last year the gross external debt of the country reported a decline of 1.3 % annually, reaching EUR 37.1 billion. Long-term liabilities at the end of January 2014 were EUR 27.658 billion or 74.2% of GDP. They increased by 0.2% over the previous year and by 2.3% compared to January 2013. Current liabilities are EUR 9.61 billion, which is 1.4% less than the end of last year and by 7% compared to January 2013, net external debt of the country at the end of the first month of this year amounted to EUR 14.85 billion. It increased by 0.7% from the end of last year. The increase was due to higher decrease of gross external assets – by 0.8% compared to the decrease in gross external debt - 0.2%. As a percentage of GDP at the end of January 2014, the net external debt amounted to 36%, decreasing by 0.9 percentage points compared to the end of 2013, when it was 36.9%.
Source: econ.bg (26.03.2014)

Gas stations "Gazprom" are investing in land New gas stations Gazprom, built on own land, will open in the country. Parcels have already been purchased along the highway Trakya, said the general manager of NIS Petrol Ltd. Ivan Kostadinov. The company is a subsidiary of NIS (Naftna Industrija Srbije). In the Serbian company a majority shareholder is Gazprom Neft with 56.15%. Serbia holds 29.88% share, and the remaining percentage is split between minority shareholders. 23 gas stations in the country are already working with the brand of Gazprom. Another 12 are owned by the company, but use white brand. So far, the market share is about 2.5%, said Ivan Kostadinov. Expectations are that by 2016, the number of sites will reach 55. Kostadinov noted that the future plan includes a market share of 10%, an increase compared to the original intentions of 8-9 percent. And if the company, until recently, mostly bought ready-made objects, including from OMV, now the strategy is to acquire new land on which to build. Of particular interest are the regions of Sofia, North Bulgaria and the exit points of the country. From 2009 until the end of 2013 NIS had invested about EUR 250 million in the development of the network in the Balkans.
Source: Standart (13.10.2014)