French tycoon Gilles Gobin’s RUBiS Energy has officially launched into the Ugandan market following its acquisition of the local oil and gas company Kobil and Delta, Busiweek reported.
RUBiS Energy is a France-based diversified multinational company that focuses on the storage, distribution and sale of petroleum, liquefied petroleum gas, food and chemical products.
Gobin founded RUBiS Energy in 1990. The company is a market leader in France, Switzerland, Bermuda, Jamaica, Madagascar, Morocco, French Antilles-Guiana, Senegal, the Channel Islands and Kenya.
With its investment in Uganda, RUBiS Energy will become a significant player on the Ugandan oil and gas market, with a retail network of 54 gas stations nationwide.
Commenting on the purchase, RUBiS Energy Group Managing Director Jean-Christian Bergeron said: “In addition to the acquisition of Kobil Uganda and Delta, we will continue to invest heavily in the market through modernization of our existing retail outlets into state-of-the-art service stations.”
RUBiS Energy will introduce a new shopping experience for Ugandans through its convenience store brand, RUBiS Express, which provides world-class convenience to motorists on the go.
The French company is venturing into the East African market due to the region’s high growth potential. It believes that its proven expertise will bring value to Ugandans. The new investment will see the Gobin-run business leverage its integrated distribution chain to increase its market share throughout East Africa.
Kobil and Delta
Kobil and Delta is a joint venture between KenolKobil Group and Delta Petroleum. In 2018, KenolKobil Group acquired 33 service stations belonging to Delta Petroleum in Rwanda and Uganda.
The move increased KenolKobil’s total retail network to 433 stations, with 200 stations in Kenya. Kobil Uganda’s retail network also increased to 56 stations, while Kobil Rwanda’s grew by 61 stations.
