Poland’s second-largest oil refiner Lotos has begun talks concerning the purchase of gas stations in Poland owned by Finnish firm Neste Oil.

“The sale process has launched. The subject is being analyzed by us,” Mariusz Machajewski, vice president of the board at Lotos, told Parkiet.

“We are involved in the process,” a Lotos spokesperson confirmed to WBJ.

Source: Polish Organisation of Oil Industry and Trade

Rival PKN Orlen is also eying Neste’s Polish gas stations, having announced an interest in those assets back in July. Neste Oil could not be reached for comment.

The acquisition of Neste would bring Lotos closer to a 10 percent share of the domestic retail gas-station market, and would give the company second place in terms of number of gas stations owned in Poland. It currently has the fourth-largest chain, behind Royal Dutch Shell and BP, with Orlen far out ahead in first place, according to Polish Organisation of Oil Industry and Trade data.

Analysts estimate that the acquisition of Neste’s entire gas-station chain would cost up to zł.200 million.