Fuel sales to company car fleets fell on average 10–15 percent, and a significant decline is expected to hit the retail segment in the near future, according to data centralized by Business Standard. Petrom, Romania’s largest company, part of the Austrian OMV oil and gas group portfolio, registered a drop of up to 15 percent in commercial (to companies) fuel sales since the beginning of the year. Current estimates for the entire year indicate a possible drop of 15–20 percent, said the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mariana Gheorghe. „Demand for fuel on the retail segment did not drop abruptly, it is more or less at a similar level registered in the same period last year, but commercial consumption slid 10 or maybe 15 percent, reflecting the crisis situation in the industry,“ Gheorghe added. The company official indicated that the rise in the unemployment rate, combined with a lower purchasing power of individuals, will also affect demand on the retail segment. „We expect the situation to worsen by year-end,“ said Petrom’s representative, adding that company retail sales could drop five percent in 2009. „There is current data, but based on how fast things are evolving, we could have other estimates in one month,“ Mariana Gheorghe said. Sales by LukOil Romania, part of the Russian LukOil group, fell 15 percent since the beginning of the year, both on the retail and large consumer segments, said the company’s Deputy General Manager, Andrei Chrilescu.