HOUSTON --- Shell Oil Products US announced it has signed agreements with three leading wholesalers to bring a number of new Shell-branded gasoline stations to the greater Chicago area.

Chicago-area gasoline wholesalers Graham Enterprise Inc., Parent Petroleum and Texor Petroleum Company will distribute Shell-branded gasoline to converted and new construction sites. 

"Signing agreements with these leading wholesalers will enable Shell to expand its retail gasoline network to benefit Chicago drivers," said Kevin Autin, retail general manager for the mid-continent region, Shell Oil Products US.

The commitments made by the three Chicago-area wholesalers will eventually increase Shell's market volume there by approximately one-third, giving the Shell brand about 20 percent of the total retail gasoline market in Chicago, the company said. 

Graham Enterprise owns and operates 27 gasoline stations in the Chicago area. Parent Petroleum, a leading gasoline distributor to independent dealers in northern Illinois, also operates its own retail units. Texor Petroleum, the largest independent wholesale gasoline distributor in Illinois, supplies gasoline to dealers throughout northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, and operates 12 privately owned retail locations. Combined, the three wholesalers have about 150 years of experience in the retail fuels industry.

"Along with Graham Enterprise and Parent Petroleum, we are very proud to join the Shell network," said Thomas Gleitsman, chairman and CEO of Texor Petroleum Co.

To qualify for Shell's gasoline rebate program, call (877) MY-SHELL or log onto www.877MyShell.com to apply for the Shell Platinum MasterCard from Citi Cards.