Shell made a deal in December to buy Sobeys’ gas stations in western Canada
Canada’s competition watchdog says that Shell Canada Ltd. has agreed to sell some of its western assets in order to move forward with a $100 million deal to buy gas stations from an Empire Co. Ltd. affiliate.
The Competition Bureau says it came to the conclusion that the energy company’s plan to buy 56 gas stations from Sobeys Capital Inc. would likely make it harder for other businesses to compete in three markets in Alberta and British Columbia, or even stop them from doing so.
The bureau says that Shell and its partner company, Canadian Mobility Services Ltd., will sell assets in Brooks, Alta., Fort St. John, and Mission, B.C., to make people feel better.
The bureau says that Competition Commissioner Matthew Boswell is satisfied that the divestment agreement will solve the competition problems that the proposed transaction was likely to cause.
Shell made a deal in December to buy all of Sobeys’ gas stations in western Canada. It said the deal would help it sell more fuel across the country.
Shell sells gas to about 1,383 gas stations across Canada, while Sobeys owns about 391 gas stations and convenience stores.