Pennzoil-Quaker State Company (SOPUS) Products is reportedly now informing its customers that it will sell Wolf’s Head® brand and related inventories to affiliates of Amalie Oil Company. The deal is expected to close on April 28, 2006.

According to some, SOPUS is now advising its customers that starting on the first business day following the close of the transaction, all orders for Wolf’s Head® products will be shipped by Amalie Oil Company. The last day to order Wolf’s Head® products from SOPUS is reported to be April 21, 2006.

The first big deal was Windward on the East Coast grabbing the press with its acquisition of Maine Lubrication Services over a year ago. This was a big deal because it was about one very larger player in the New England Market (Windward) coming together with another large player (Maine Lubrication) in the same market. That was big news in the world of jobbers, particularly those on the East Coast. In addition, it resulted in one very large ExxonMobil marketer.

Well there appears to be more big news in the making, except now its on the West Coast and Chevron may be the one aligned with the Big Kahuna of distribution if this deal gets done.

Oil and natural gas provide energy and feedstock for manufacturing of base stock and lubricant additives. The rapid run-up in the price of oil, natural gas and other basic building block required to make both lubricant base stocks and additives increased at an unprecedented rate in 2005 and it looks like we may have more of the same in 2006.