Kuwait Petroleum Corporation is Kuwait's

Kuwait

The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...

 national oil company, headquartered in Kuwait City

Kuwait City

-Suburbs:Although the districts below are not usually recognized as suburbs, the following is a list of a few areas surrounding Kuwait city:Al-Salam ""السلام"" -Economy:...

. It was founded on January 27, 1980 as an umbrella company, integrating KOC, KNPC

Kuwait National Petroleum Company

The Kuwait National Petroleum Company is the national oil refining company of Kuwait. Established in October 1960, KNPC handles the responsibility of oil refining, gas liquefaction, and distribution of petroleum goods within the local market.- History :...

, KOTC and PIC and effectively placing them under government control.

The company's products have been sold in some countries under a subsidiary's name Q8.

In Scandinavia

Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

 Q8 runs 186 service stations, and 54 unmanned (under the F24 brand) in Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

. In Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, a subsidiary of KPC, KPI-Q8's gas stations are known as OKQ8 - a result of a merger between Q8 and Swedish "OK", more than 900 is available, most of them unmanned.

In the Benelux

Benelux

The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...

, Kuwait Petroleum has a refinery in Europoort

Europoort

Europoort is an area of the Port of Rotterdam and the adjoining industrial area in the Netherlands. Being situated at the mouth of the rivers Rhine and Meuse with the hinterland consisting of the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and partly France, Europoort is by certain measurements the world's...

, Rotterdam

Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...

 and is a partner in the Maasvlakte Olie Terminal, and runs 146 gas stations in the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. There are 404 Q8 stations in Belgium. Q8's large share of the Belgian market is due to the acquisition of Belgian BP offices in 1998 and the Aral stations in 1999. However, over the years, Q8 has closed many stations in residential areas and near apartment complexes. Like its competitors, Q8 also has a network of unmanned gas stations called Q8 Easy. In Belgium, Q8 has formed a partnership of sorts with Delhaize Shop 'n' Go. This is a small convenience store where ready-to-use and on-the-go products are sold. However, it still is able to offer a wide variety of automotive services. They have extensive hours, and are often combined with a Panos Corner bakery.

There are no more Q8 Petroleum stores in the UK, after being bought out in 2004 by a joint venture company Refined Holdings which was formed specifically for the sale. The Q8 brand has since then been phased out of the UK.

Subsidiaries

• Kuwait Oil Company (KOC)
• Kuwait National Petroleum Company
  Kuwait National Petroleum Company
  The Kuwait National Petroleum Company is the national oil refining company of Kuwait. Established in October 1960, KNPC handles the responsibility of oil refining, gas liquefaction, and distribution of petroleum goods within the local market.- History :...
  
   (KNPC)
• Petrochemicals Industries Company (PIC)
• Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC)
• Kuwait Aviation Fueling Company (KAFCO)
• Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company
  Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company
  Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company was established in 1981 under the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation as a subsidiary company...
  
   (KUFPEC)
• Kuwait Petroleum International Limited
  Kuwait Petroleum International Limited
  Kuwait Petroleum International, often referred to by its trademark Q8, refines and markets fuel, lubricants and other petroleum derivatives in Europe. It is the international subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. It supplies 4,000 retail service stations, as well as direct sales operations...
  
   (KPI - Q8)
• Santa Fe International Corporation (SFIC)
• Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC)
• Oil Sector Services Company
• K-Dow Petrochemicals

External links

• http://www.kpc.com.kw Official Webpage
• http://www.q8oils.co.uk Q8 UK website
• http://www.q8.com/ Q8 Official Website
• http://www.q8.dk/ Q8Danish Website
• http://www.okq8.se/ Q8 Swedish Website