Lukoil wants to be an American brand name

Lukoil, Russia's largest oil company, has launched a marketing offensive to put its name on gas stations across the US and become as well known here as it is at home.

Over the last five years, Lukoil pronounced luke-oil has entered the USmarket by acquiring about 1,300 Getty gas stations and 800 Mobil locations in the Northeast. It is converting them to its brand and recently launched advertising to introduce itself to consumers in 13 states.

The company plans to keep acquiring assets in the US, the world's biggest consumer of oil. The Moscow-based conglomerate is the largest oil producer, refiner and distributor in Russia and second in the world in proven oil and natural gas reserves behind ExxonMobil.

"It is our hope that other major acquisitions will become available as the petroleum sector continues its consolidation," said Vadim Gluzman, president and chief executive of Lukoil Americas Holding Ltd, the oil giant's US arm in East Meadow, New York.

"There are numerous opportunities to acquire new businesses in a variety of marketing channels and as a result we are more inclined to acquire existing sites than we are to construct 'new to business' units," said Gluzman. He added the company is interested in the West Coast and other US regions.

Motorists in the Northeast are increasingly seeing Lukoil's cheery red-and-white gas stations pop up. The company is morphing its Mobil stations the rate of about 10 a week, up to 78 by the end of June.

"They want to establish their brand name. Everyone knows BP. Why not Lukoil?" said John Connor, portfolio manager of the Third Millenium Russia Fund, where Lukoil represents one of its largest holdings.

"They have a lot of pride in getting the Russian name out and about in the world," said Connor.

That may explain why Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the ribbon cutting of a Lukoil gas station opening in Manhattan two years ago, shaking hands with employees and strolling through its Kwik Farms convenience store.

Ironically, Putin's government now is investigating a subsidiary of Lukoil for evading $1.5 million in taxes. The company is disputing the charges, according to spokesman Dmitri Dolgov.

Lukoil has 5,000 gas stations in more than 15 countries, about half of them in the US. The company has interests in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, Maine, Delaware, West Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maryland.

Lukoil plunged into the US market with its $70 million purchase of Getty Petroleum Marketing, a marketer of gasoline and petroleum products, and the $270 million acquisition of Mobil stations from ConocoPhillips.