Parallel

The Parallel filling station chain was founded on April 18, 1996 with the construction of gas station "Nafta" in Donetsk and purchasing the petroleum depot in Kuteynikovo village. During 1996–2003, 7 more gas stations in Donetsk and Makiivka were opened. In February 2003 a contract with Mažeikių Nafta (Lithuania) was signed for high-quality fuel supplies. Parallel and Mažeikių Nafta signed an exclusive agreement of sale of gasoline Ventus 98 and Ventus 95 in September 2003 and of fuels Ventus Diesel and Ventus 92 in 2004. The chain was part of the System Capital Management (SCM) industrial group. It expanded most significantly in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

In 2006 the company opened its first mini-market (convenience store) under TM ZZZIP!! at the gas stations and established its own quality laboratory. In 2007, seven more gas stations of the new format were opened in Donetsk and Makiivka. In 2007, the quality control laboratory of Parallel-M Ltd won the 4th all-Ukrainian competition of goods quality "100 Best Goods of Ukraine" in the nomination "Laboratory testing services for oil products" and the company started selling gasoline and Perfekt diesel fuel.

In 2008, five more filling stations were opened. Perfekt gasoline from "Parallel" was awarded during the final round of the all-Ukrainian contest "100 Best Goods of Ukraine". The same year Parallel became the official partner of FC Shakhtar Donetsk.

In 2009, 47 gas filling stations under TM Gefest and one station under TM PitStop passed into Parallel management. As a result of this transaction, the number of objects controlled by Parallel increased from 20 to 68, and geographical coverage expanded from one to eight regions of Ukraine, staying mainly in the eastern and central regions of the country. In 2010 the company conducted rebranding of 29 stations under TM Gefest into the Parallel network in Donetsk Oblast. Two gas stations in Donetsk were reconstructed, three new filling stations in Luhansk and one hand car wash in Makiivka were opened.

According to Research and Branding Group, brand recognition in Donbas exceeded 94%. Nearly every other motorist in the region refueled at a filling station under the Parallel brand. The chain regularly ranked among the Top 200 largest companies in Ukraine according to Forbes Ukraine magazine. In 2013, Parallel ranked 87th on the list.

War in eastern Ukraine significantly affected the network’s operations. Filling stations in territories not controlled by Ukraine were lost. Due to the Russian occupation of parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, the number of gas stations decreased significantly in 2022.

The SCM Industrial Group considered selling this business. Negotiations with various prospective buyers lasted several years. In November 2020, the Parallel filling station network was acquired by Oleksandr Dubinin, a businessman engaged in the wholesale supply of petroleum products. The value of the deal was not officially disclosed. According to the owner, the purchase was financed by a bank loan, which was subsequently repaid.