Fuel season: gas stations began to actively close for repairs and rebranding

Since the beginning of the year, 322 gas stations in Russia have been closed for repairs or rebranding — 70% more than a year earlier, the OMT Consult consulting company estimated for Izvestia. In total, almost 2% of all Russian gas stations are currently closed for these reasons. We are talking about gas stations owned by both independent networks and oil companies. Experts believe that the trend is related to the situation in the fuel market — an increase in wholesale prices, a decrease in sales on the stock exchange, and a significant decrease in business margins. Under these conditions, gas station owners either sell them to other networks (hence the need for rebranding), or prefer to temporarily close for repairs so as not to incur losses.

Gas station owners put business on hold

The number of gas stations operating in Russia has decreased by 322 points since the beginning of the year due to those gas stations that have been renovated or rebranded. This is 70% more than in the same period last year (189), OMT Consult, a company specializing in petroleum products market analytics, calculated for Izvestia. The calculations took into account, among other things, stations selling natural gas fuel.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov

322 gas stations represent almost 1.2% of the total number of 28.4 thousand gas stations operating in Russia, according to OMT Consult data.

Most of the filling stations closed this year for repairs or rebranding — 105 — belonged to large independent networks such as Gazoil, Rosgaz, Zvezda, Tamic Energy, MMK Petrol. Medium and small gas station chains closed 69 and 82 gas stations, respectively. Vertically integrated oil and gas companies (VICS), for example, Lukoil, Tatneft, Gazpromneft, NOC, Rosneft, Surgutneftegaz, Gazprom, temporarily stopped the operation of 67 stations.

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OMT Consult added that the total number of gas stations under reconstruction has increased to 1.89% of all existing ones since last year. Based on the total number of 28.4 thousand gas stations operating in Russia, we are talking about more than 500 gas stations, Izvestia estimates.

The trend towards a massive temporary closure of gas stations may be related to the current situation in the fuel market, says Marat Murtazin, president of the St. Petersburg Oil Club Union.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Sergey Lantyukhov

This year, exchange-traded and over-the-counter wholesale fuel prices have increased markedly amid a decrease in supplies from refineries. The average exchange value of AI-92 in the first half of 2026 reached 63.7 thousand rubles per ton (+18% compared to the same period in 2025), Sergey Tereshkin, CEO of Open Oil Market, cited the data.

Supply problems arose after the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacks on Russian refineries, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak explained. Since about the beginning of summer, limits on the sale of fuel in one hand have been introduced in a number of regions of the Russian Federation due to supply disruptions at gas stations, which led to a temporary shutdown of individual stations.

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Business representatives explain this by the high cost of fuel in the wholesale market, as well as its shortage in a number of regions.

The Russian Fuel Union earlier sent a letter to the government complaining about the problems of private gas stations, as despite the gradual improvement in the situation, private gas stations still cannot buy fuel at affordable prices. At the same time, they are not supplied with raw materials purchased on the stock exchange, since in the current situation oil companies primarily supply fuel to their gas stations.

Unequal availability of gasoline for independent networks and winks is still observed and may be one of the reasons for the temporary closure of gas stations, along with high purchase prices for it, said Marat Murtazin.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Yulia Mayorova

In addition to supply disruptions, the marginality of fuel sales at gas stations has decreased since the beginning of the year. As of July 24, the net margin was 3.6 rubles per liter of AI-92, 4.5 rubles per liter of AI-95 and 3.7 rubles per liter of diesel fuel, the Petromarket research group told Izvestia. At the same time, on January 30, this figure ranged from 6.1 to 8.8 rubles per liter.

How the fuel crisis affects the closure of gas stations

The fuel business has always been volatile throughout the year, and similar price crises have already occurred, Marat Murtazin noted. But perhaps now the period of high prices has dragged on too long for many gas station owners, and they decide to temporarily close for repairs or sell the business, the expert suggested.

Izvestia recently wrote that gas station owners have begun to actively put them up for sale. Rebranding and repairs are most often associated with the transfer of a gas station to the ownership of another network. This may also be due to the conclusion or termination of an agreement with the franchisor.

The further situation with the shutdown of private gas stations will directly depend on the cost of fuel, which should ensure profitability for the business, explains Marat Murtazin.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Sergey Lantyukhov

Sergey Tereshkin, CEO of Open Oil Market, also believes that the trend towards closing gas stations for repairs or rebranding is related to changing conditions in the fuel market: the increase in wholesale prices is taking place against the background of reduced exchange sales standards and shifts in fuel logistics.

Earlier, the Cabinet of Ministers lowered the standard for gasoline sales on the St. Petersburg Mercantile Exchange from 15% to 10% by September 30. For diesel, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak instructed the FAS to work on reducing the standards from the current 16% to 10%, but the timing has not yet been announced. Interfax, citing sources, reported that the authorities are discussing a further reduction in the standard for the sale of gasoline and diesel on the stock exchange to 2%.

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Also, since July 21, the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange has introduced a mechanism for supplying gasoline only to end users. Now this fuel can be purchased only for own consumption, as well as for end customers.

As stated in the government's message following one of the meetings, the volumes of fuel that were previously purchased through traders on the stock exchange will be sold through vertically integrated oil companies directly to end users.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Konstantin Kokoshkin

Sergey Tereshkin explains that the lower the sales standard, the less liquid trading on the stock exchange is and the less affordable fuel becomes for independent gas stations that buy it from traders.

Unlike the stock exchange, direct purchases of fuel at refineries do not provide competition, which is why gasoline prices in the over-the-counter segment are usually noticeably higher than on the stock exchange. According to Rosstat, average producer prices for gasoline of all brands in June 2026 increased by 9.8% compared to December 2025 and by 21.2% compared to June 2025, Sergey Tereshkin added.

All these factors negatively affect the economy of independent gas stations. Therefore, the retail fuel market is likely to face a new wave of mergers and acquisitions, the expert concluded.