WASHINGTON: Forecourt retailer Applegreen has agreed to pay €15.7m (£13m) for a 50% stake in a fuel terminal at Dublin Port. The terminal is currently equally owned by Valero Energy (Ireland) and Esso Ireland. It is one of three fuel importing facilities at the port. Applegreen is acquiring Esso’s stake. Esso Ireland was acquired by Topaz in October 2015 for €75m (£64m). At the time Topaz was owned by businessman Denis O’Brien. Shortly after he sold Topaz to Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard for €450m (£383m).
As part of the deal to acquire the Esso operation Topaz was told by the Republic’s Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to dispose of the Esso stake in the terminal. The stake had been on the market since early last year. Valero Energy (Ireland) is part of Valero Energy Group in the US.