Establishment

Orlen is Poland's largest and most internationally recognized company. The firm is made up of the merger of Poland's two communist oil monopolies. PKN Orlen has its roots in the creation of C.P.N., Communist Poland's petroleum retail monopoly in 1944. In 1950's the second block of PKN Orlen was formed, Polski Koncern Naftowy (PKN). PKN was the state firm in charge of refineries in Plock, a city near Warsaw, that grew to become the largest complex of its kind in Poland.

Privitization

In 1999 both firms were semi-privatized and merged to create a retail and refining company under the name PKN Orlen. Today Orlen is the largest petroleum retailer in all of Poland with over 2000 stations. It also has significant investment abroad with a chain of 500 stations in Germany and a majority stake in UniPetrol , a Czech refiner. PKN Orlen has been involved in talks with MOL , a Hungarian Oil Company. If merged the two firms would create an international giant, and dominate Central Europe's oil industry. However as of January 2005 the planned merger looks increasingly unlikely because of its high politicalization. PKN under a joint venture with Swiss firm Bassel owns also Poland's largest plastic company. Today the company has sales worth 4.41 Billion USD annually and a market value of 3.08 USD (Forbes.com).

Brands and Subsidiaries of Grupa Orlen (PKN Orlen Group)

• Basell Orlen Polyolefins- (Plastics and sythetic materials)
• Orlen (Polish & German market petrol station brand)
• Petrochemia Plock- (Polish market brand)
• PetroProfit- (Polish Market Brand)
• PetroZachod- (Polish Market Brand)
• Arge (Polish Market Brand)
• UniPetrol- (Czech national petrol firm)
• Benzina- (Unipetrol retail chain)
• Solino- (Industrial brine manufacturer)
• Anwil- (Polish Chemical Firm)

Websites

• Grupa Orlen- Official Website of PKN Orlen
• Bassel Orlen- Official Website of Bassel Orlen
• Unipetrol- Official Site of Unipetrol
• Benzina- Czech retail chain site