Viva Energy Australia Pty Ltd, one of Australia’s leading energy companies, announced that it has completed the purchase of 50% of Liberty Oil Holdings Pty Ltd’s wholesale business. Viva Energy currently holds a 50% interest in Liberty. Under the proposed acquisition, Viva Energy will own all of Liberty’s wholesale business and its interest in Liberty’s retail business will remain at 50%. The purchase will strengthen Viva Energy’s capability to further support regional communities in Australia. Viva Energy Australia Pty Ltd is a wholly owned entity of Viva Energy Group Limited.

Viva Energy will be supplying fuel to around 250 independent retail service stations, and managing 20 inland fuel depots as well as a fleet of more than 80 tankers that will enable small fuel drops to customers.  

Viva Energy currently supplies approximately a quarter of the country’s liquid fuel requirements. It is the exclusive supplier of high quality Shell fuels and lubricants in Australia through an extensive network of more than 1,250 service stations across the country.

Viva Energy Australia owns and operates the strategically located Geelong Refinery in Victoria, and operates bulk fuels, aviation, bitumen, marine, chemicals and lubricants businesses supported by more than 20 terminals and 50 airports and airfields across the country.

On 10 October 2019, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced that it won’t oppose the proposed acquisition of the remaining 50% of Liberty Oil Holdings’ wholesale business.

Viva and Liberty are both wholesalers and retailers of fuel products. The proposed acquisition involves Liberty’s wholesale business only. Viva’s interest in Liberty’s retail business will remain at 50%.

The ACCC found that the proposed acquisition is unlikely to substantially lessen competition in the wholesale supply of fuel products.

Viva’s operations in Australia include refining, importing, wholesale and retail supply of fuel products. Viva’s wholesale operations include supply to fuel retailers, distributors, independent service stations, commercial customers and rural customers. Viva wholesales fuel to Liberty’s wholesale business. Viva’s retail operations include Coles Express/Shell co-branded sites and Shell branded Viva company sites and dealer sites.

Liberty is a wholesaler and retailer of fuel products. Liberty’s wholesale operations mainly supply fuel to distributors, independent service stations, commercial customers and rural customers. Liberty wholesales fuel to a network of Liberty or Shell branded service stations operated by dealers. Liberty’s retail operations include company sites that Liberty operates directly or through a commission agent. These service stations are in the metropolitan areas of Adelaide and Melbourne and regional areas of all states and territories, except the ACT and Tasmania.

Viva and Coles Group Limited announced on 6 February 2019 that they had restructured their alliance arrangement and extended the arrangement to 2029. Under the new arrangement, from 1 March 2019, Viva sets retail prices at Coles Express/Shell co-branded sites and Coles Express operates those sites as Viva’s commission agent. There are more than 700 of these sites in total across Australia.

Viva also holds a 50% interest in Westside Petroleum Consolidated Holdings Pty Ltd. Westside has a network of service stations in NSW and Victoria, including sites operated by Westside directly or through a commission agent and sites operated by dealers.