In almost every major town in Kenya you will spot more than one Rubis Energy petrol station. This company has grown to become the leading petroleum products distributor in East Africa within a span of less than five years since entering the market that was dominated by Total Kenya Limited and Vivo Energy Kenya.
However little is known about the company background and how it became this successful.
In this article, WoK highlights all the information you need to know about Rubis Energy Company.
Rubis Energy Background
Rubis Investment and Cie was founded as a private limited company on 13th May 1990 by French billionaire Gilles Gobin as reported by Wikipedia.
It started its operation as a storage company before merging with an investment company known as Penhoet to form Rubis in June 1992.
In April 1993, it acquired the hydrocarbons and chemical storage company – Compagnie Parisienne des Asphaltes (CPA) which was one of the leading operators in the French market.
In October 2005, Rubis purchased SAGF Company which is Shell’s distributor of LPG and petroleum products in the West Indies and French Guiana at a cost of €116 million.
It continued acquiring other Shell’s operations in Europe, Africa and America over the next year. It then continued acquiring major companies in the oil sector such as BP Frangaz in France, Chevron in the Caribbean, Shell in Jamaica and Delta Petrol in Turkey.
Joining the Kenyan Market
Rubis Energy first joined the Kenyan market in late 2018 after conducting market research. The company’s decision to join the country’s market was based on the growth of the oil market in East and Central Africa.
It first acquired Kenol Kobil Plc in March 2019 securing a major percentage of the shares enabling it to take 100 percent control of the company.
Rubis bought 1,182,968,076 shares at 23 shillings per share which amounted to Ksh38.3 billion according to a statement released by the Competition Authority of Kenya.
Following the acquisition, Rubis took charge of over 400 fuel stations and billion dollar assets spread out in Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Zambia.
It didn’t stop there in December of the same year, Rubis acquired Gulf energy at a total cost of Ksh16.4 billion as reported by business daily Africa.
The two deals propelled the company to become the top retailer with over 236 fuel stations surpassing Total Kenya-which has 150 fuel stations and Vivo Energy Kenya with over 200 stations. Rubis has invested billions of shillings to build new filling stations and rebrand the ones formerly owned by KenolKobil and Gulf Energy.
Rubis Energy Subsidiaries.
Retail
Rubis Energy Kenya runs a strong network of over 236 service stations spread out across the country and a total of over 400 stations spread across the East and Central African countries. These stations are strategically and conveniently located to reach its customers all over the country.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
Rubis Energy supplies LPG gas under the K-gas brand name. The product is popular among Kenyans and is mostly used for cooking. The K-gas is available in all Rubis petrol stations and selected wholesalers across the country.
Lubricants
Rubis Energy Kenya provides an extensive industrial, automotive and special range of high-quality lubricants that are preferred by most Kenyans.
The lubricants trade under the K-lube and Castrol brand names. They are also available in all Rubis Petrol stations and selected outlets in the country.
Aviation
Rubis Energy Kenya is the leading supplier of aviation into-plane refuelling services for regional and international passenger and cargo planes. The company refuels at the international airports in Nairobi and Mombasa and are recognized by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Commercial and Reseller
Rubis Energy supplies all types of bulk petroleum products such as fuel oil, bitumen, diesel and lubricants. Their main clients are companies in the mining, agriculture, food processing, energy production, construction and manufacturing sectors.
Export Sales
Rubis Energy is a major exporter of petroleum products such as LPG, oils and lubricants. These products are mostly exported to Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Burundi.
Storage and Assets
Rubis Energy operates high capacity fuel storage depots in Mombasa, Nairobi, Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.
The company also operates three aircraft refueling facilities at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Wilson Airport and Moi International Airport in Mombasa.
It also operates reliable LPG filling plants in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Zambia. The company also manages over 400 service stations spread across the East African countries.
