Uni Energi - the company behind the Avia gas station network - has filed a lawsuit with the Competition Protection Committee to buy back assets of Russian gas giant Gazprom in Bulgaria.
If approved, the buyback would include 23 gas stations in operation, 13 plots of land for the construction of a new facility and a Gazprom light fuel warehouse in Kostinbrod, Bulgaria.
Currently, Avia is managing 11 gas stations across Bulgaria. According to the trade registration, Uni Energi reported 15.7 million leve (US$9.4 million) and a net profit of 302,000 leve (US$181,200) in 2023.
After being approved by the Competition Commission, Gazprom's gas stations are expected to be renamed Avia.
The majority of Uni Energi's shares are owned by businessman Ivaylo Konstantinov, a former owner of Union Ivkoni bus company.
On June 13, 2024, Ivaylo Konstantinov was no longer the sole owner of Uni Energi.
According to the decision of the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders held on June 7 of the same year, Vip Station bought back 45% of the companys shares for 230,000 euros. The new shareholder is Ranko Klacar, a Montenegro citizen.
In July 2024, NIS - a Serbia-registered oil and gas company that owns Gazprom-branded gas stations in Bulgaria - decided to LLC its subsidiary NIS Petrol Bulgaria. The Russian-controlled company cited persistent challenges in the operation of its network in Bulgaria as the reason for the above decision.
