Madrid, July 30, 2019.- Esergui, Estaciones de Servicio de Guipúzcoa, S.A., has received the support of COFIDES to finance the commercial establishment of the company in Mexico.

The Company will grant a co-investment loan of 1 million euros from COFIDES' own funds (100%) to the project company, Esergui Mexicana S.A. de C.V. The project's total investment, together with the contribution by the promoter, is 1,895,000 euros.

The commercial implementation of Esergui in the State of Querétaro is the group's first experience in internationalisation, which operates in Spain through its 200 service stations under the brand AVIA. The project company will carry out fuel marketing actions in the industrial part of the Mexican state, which has 295 service stations to supply fuel to more than 500,000 vehicles.  In addition, the state has a total of 45 industrial parks that are comprised of economic sectors that favour Esergui's implementation in the country.

The COFIDES chairman, José Luis Curbelo, has praised the efforts made by the company "to embark on the path of internationalisation in one of the priority countries for COFIDES." Along these lines, Curbelo has highlighted "the important role that Mexico plays in the COFIDES Strategic Plan, with the objective of consolidating the activity of Spanish companies in internationalisation projects.”

About AVIA

AVIA is one of the main oil operators worldwide, with 200 service stations and a network of 27 fuel distribution centres that supply diesel to the end consumer for agricultural, automotive, industrial and heating use, covering more than 33 provinces. Likewise, AVIA sells lubricants for automotive and industrial use, as well as other energies such as biomass and biofuels (LPG and NGV).

AVIA is not only a protagonist in the Spanish market, but is also a brand that has had a presence in the rest of Europe for more than 80 years, where there are more than 3,000 branded services stations in 14 countries, all linked to independent operators.

About COFIDES

COFIDES is a public-private company which has been offering financial support to Spanish companies investing abroad since 1988. It is accredited with the EU to manage Community budgets, allowing it to structure transactions with a high impact on development. It is also accredited with the UN’s Green Climate Fund and can structure operations on climate change mitigation and adaptation with the GCF. It is the exclusive manager of FIEX and FONPYME funds on behalf of the Secretariat of State for Trade attached to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism and supports AECID in managing FONPRODE funds. Shareholders include Banco Santander, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), Banco Sabadell and CAF-Development Bank of Latin America.