Pirelli and Rosneft today signed a cooperation agreement which extends the existing partnership between the two companies in the commercial and marketing fields. The document was signed by the Chairman of the Managing Board of Rosneft, Igor Sechin, and by the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pirelli, Marco Tronchetti Provera, during the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.
The agreement provides for the development of new Pirelli points of sale in the Rosneft filling stations, the continuation of the project for the construction of a Pirelli flagship store entirely dedicated to tires and the launch of a joint analysis to evaluate the opening of stations furniture for seasonal tire changes within Rosneft service areas.
The two partners are also studying the possibility of launching co-branding initiatives for driving schools. The agreement will allow Rosneft to expand the portfolio of products offered in its service stations and Pirelli to strengthen its commercial presence in a strategic area such as Russia, where the Italian company is industrially present through two plants in Voronezh and in Kirov.
By the end of 2015, Pirelli and Rosneft are planning to open up to 15 points of sale in the Moscow area, while overall it is expected to reach at least 200 points of sale by 2019. The launch of strategic agreements of commercial collaboration and Marketing between Pirelli and Rosneft dates back to December 2012 and in December 2013 the two partners opened their first store inside Rosneft`s Olympic space in Sochi.
In May 2014, the two companies signed two Memorandums of Understanding for the opening of new Pirelli points of sale through the Rosneft network of filling stations and for cooperation in the production and supply of synthetic rubber.
Rosneft today also announced an agreement with Total: the French company will sell its 16,67% stake in the Schwedt refinery (in north-eastern Germany) to the Russians for 300 million dollars, as part of the plan to reduce its petrochemical-refinery capacity in Europe.
Rosneft already owns 18,75% of the refinery, with a capacity of 12 million tons annually. The rest belongs to Shell (37,5%), BP (18,75%) and Eni (8,33%).
