CNPC to outsource operations of half of its service stations to contractors

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the parent company of PetroChina, said it will contract out the operation of nearly 10,000 service stations currently being managed by 32 regional sales offices, in order to improve sales volume and efficiency. CNPC has a total of 19,469 gas stations, second only to China Petroleum & Chemical (Sinopec), which has 30,484.
CNPC has required these regional sales channels to select qualified contractors to operate these smaller service stations, with annual sales volume below 3,000 metric tons. CNPC currently has around 10,000 such stations, which account for roughly 50% of the company’s total.
The contractors will be required to meet stipulated sales targets, control costs, and operate the gasoline stations safely; these stations should comply with company standards. (November 22, 2012)