Allen & Overy is advising EG Group on the acquisition of the going concern consisting of more than 1,100 Esso branded service stations located throughout Italy from Esso Italiana S.r.l., an ExxonMobil Group company. The acquisition includes a long-term supply agreement for the Esso fuel brand in Italy.

Through this acquisition, EG Group will enter the Italian market for the first time and further expand its branded retail network, both fuel and non-fuel.

Imraan Patel, Group General Counsel at EG Group said “The arrival of EG Group in Italy represents a significant milestone for our business. Having the team at Allen & Overy guide us through the complexities of entering this new market has been invaluable. They set themselves apart by being extremely flexible and solution-driven throughout - both during our bid for the portfolio and post-award. By acting on a fully integrated basis with experts from their broad office network across Europe and elsewhere, we were able to achieve outcomes that are simply outstanding.”

Paolo Ghiglione, corporate partner in Italy added: “It was a pleasure and an honour to assist EG Group on this landmark Italian transaction, that is clearly set to change the downstream oil market in the country.”

Founded in 2001 by brothers Zuber and Mohsin Issa, United Kingdom based EG Group is a leading petrol forecourt retail convenience operator who has established partnerships with global brands. The business has an established pedigree of delivering a world class fuel, convenience and food-to-go offer and employs over 12,500 staff working in over 2,600 sites across various European markets. EG Group’s acquisition in Italy follows that of Kroger’s convenience store business in the U.S., which A&O also advised on, as well as another in Germany, cementing its  position as a leading international retail operator.

The Allen & Overy team is led by partner Paolo Ghiglione, coordinated by Marco Muratore and composed of Marco Biallo, Valentina Gambino and Nicolò Baruffi for all corporate and commercial matters, Elibetta Mentasti and Gabriella Ungaro and trainee Flavia Frascati for administrative law, counsel Emilio De Giorgi for antitrust, counsel Livio Bossotto and associate Claudio Chiarella for employment and data protection law aspects, as well as partner Pietro Scarfone and associate Andrea D’Agostino for financing aspects and Michele Milanese for tax matters.