Lukoil U.S. Franchisees Publicize $9 Gas in Protest

Drivers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania may be in for a shock if they pull into a Lukoil gas station. About 57 franchise owners are protesting on Wednesday against the price of gas charged by Lukoil North America, a subsidiary of the Russian corporation, OAO Lukoil. The owners have posted gas prices over $8 at their stations to draw attention to what they claim are the high prices charged to them that they must pass on to consumers. "We are doing this because we are dying," said Khaled Kezbari, owner of three Lukoil gas stations in New Jersey. "Lukoil is charging us costs higher than the retail market. How can you compete? You cannot compete in the market like that." Outside Kezbari's gas station in Mount Laurel, N.J., the price of gas is posted as $9.99 a gallon.

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