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GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) -- The Sinclair Oil Corp. is leaving the retail gas business in Montana, at least for now.
The Salt Lake City-based company plans to auction nine gas-station properties in Montana and four in Idaho.
In Great Falls, two are closed, two are leased to other businesses and only one is operating as a gas station.
"Sinclair has looked at some of the properties and decided they are going to reinvest in larger-sized properties," Mark London, a Sinclair real-estate manager, told the Great Falls Tribune.
A number of independently owned stations that sell Sinclair gasoline will not be affected.
Along with the five Great Falls stations, Sinclair has one station each in Lewistown, Helena, Kalispell and Bozeman. The Kalispell station is closed.
London said Sinclair owns other property in Montana. At some point, it may build or buy other gas station/convenience store operations in the state.
Jeff Averill, who recently decided to close the Country Club Express, which sold Sinclair gas, said small operators are having a difficult time against big operators.
"I know there are a lot of factors there," London said. "In our locations, we never put in casinos, like Town Pump has. That's obviously a factor in the revenue situation."
The Great Falls properties, along with those in Helena and Lewistown, will be auctioned at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, at the Hampton Inn in Great Falls.
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Information from: Great Falls Tribune, http://www.greatfallstribune.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
