OREANDA-NEWS. March 19, 2012. Parallel, a big oil product trader in Ukraine's east, increased sales 12.1% in 2011 year on year and outperformed the market by 8.6%. Fuel retail sales grew 18.6% and sales from one square metre soared by 16.4% driving revenues 30.9% up in 2011.

The information was revealed at a press conference arranged to present Parallel's performance in 2011 and mark the first year of Yelena Khiliyenko's performance as CEO. She was appointed to this post on 11 March 2011.

Last year the company stepped up investment in business development by 24.4% and therefore could launch 13 and rebrand 7 filling stations as well as start rebranding the filling stations under Donbassnefteprodukt trademark into Parallel as part of a jobber programme. In addition, Parallel started to supply its fuel to a new partner in Lugansk - a chain of filling stations Neftepromtorg known earlier as Logrus.

Larisa Stepantsova, Parallel's Chief Commercial Officer, says the fuel procurement strategy did not change in 2011:"We continue to buy improved quality fuel, firstly from our partner Orlen Lietuva in Lithuania. Last year we bought 90,000 tonnes of fuel from this refinery, 15% more than the year before. As to this year, we plan to increase purchases from this producer by 20%, given our jobber programme," she said.

Julius Nemunis represented Orlen Lietuva at the press conference and congratulated Yelena Khiliyenko on her first year as CEO. "This company has been a flagship of Ukraine's fuel business and one of our main strategic partners in this country. We increase supplies to Parallel every year. In 2011 it was Parallel who convinced us to resume production of petrol A-92 that we had not produced for over five years by that time as it is not sold in the EU any longer. As to the situation with arctic diesel, many Ukrainian companies did not get it from us in requested amounts as they approached us after it had become cold. However, Parallel contracted this resource from us in advance and therefore could provide its customers with non-freezing diesel during the whole winter," Mr Nemunis said.

The company intends to continue its aggressive expansion in the regions of current operations and neighbouring oblasts. "We are still focused on innovations in business, investments in growth and development, customer focus, European quality standards and social responsibility," noted Ms Khiliyenko.