Sonol
An Israeli fuel provider and major national network of service stations.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Sonol is an Israeli fuel provider whose principal activities include the distribution and retail sale of automotive fuels, operation of service stations, and supply of refined petroleum products to institutional and commercial customers. It is described as Israel's third-largest gas-station chain and has historically been one of the companies with a substantial share of the country's concentrated fuel market. The business has roots in the petroleum activities of Standard Oil of New York, commonly known as Socony, and related companies operating in Palestine during the early twentieth century. Socony began geological work in the region in 1913, although its exploration efforts did not establish commercially viable oil reserves. The company later participated in the development of petroleum distribution infrastructure and maintained a significant local distribution agency. In 1931, Socony merged with Vacuum Oil Company to create Socony-Vacuum Oil Company. The latter introduced electrically driven pumps in the late 1940s, shortly before the establishment of the State of Israel. Socony Mobil ended its direct relationship with Israel in 1956 amid pressure connected with its commercial dealings in the region. Its Israeli operations were acquired in 1957 by Rudolf Sonneborn, and the Sonol name became associated with the resulting local company. Sonol subsequently expanded beyond conventional fuel distribution. In 1975 it acquired Supergas, a gas-distribution business, and in 1981 it was acquired by Granite Hacarmel Investments. In 1990, Sonol bought Vulcan, an automotive-battery manufacturer, from Koor Industries. Vulcan was later sold in 2000. During the 2000s, Sonol developed a broader retail and commercial strategy. It created a branded convenience-store format called So Good, following a sector-wide move by Israeli fuel companies to supplement forecourt sales with food, beverages, and other convenience products. By 2010, the chain reportedly operated approximately 140 So Good outlets. Sonol also pursued large institutional fuel contracts, including supplies for U.S. forces in Iraq, Dead Sea Works, airlines, and Israel Railways. These tenders placed the company in markets extending beyond retail motorists and connected it with aviation, industrial, public-transport, and military fuel demand. Ownership changed again in the 2000s. Granite Hacarmel agreed in 2005 to sell Sonol and other assets to Dor Alon, but Israel's Antitrust Authority opposed the transaction and challenged it before the Supreme Court. The court suspended the proposed deal in 2006. Azrieli Group later acquired a controlling interest in Granite Hacarmel, first taking 54 percent in 2010 and subsequently increasing its stake to 63.8 percent. Sonol has therefore been indirectly controlled by Azrieli since that period. Sonol has also participated in energy-transition initiatives. In 2011 it agreed with Better Place to deploy electric-vehicle battery-recharging terminals at selected Sonol stations. The company marketed fuel containing an additive supplied by Lubrizol that was presented as reducing fumes and carbon-dioxide emissions in one cited study. These initiatives complemented, rather than replaced, Sonol's core petroleum business. The company's activities have included fuel retailing, station-based convenience services, wholesale and contract supply, aviation fuel, diesel, gasoline, crude oil, and historically gas distribution and vehicle batteries. Its operating footprint is primarily Israeli, although certain supply contracts have involved international customers or overseas operations. Sonol was included in a United Nations database published in 2020 concerning companies associated with business activity in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Golan Heights. That listing made the company part of an international debate about corporate involvement in settlements. The available reference material does not establish a later change in Sonol's ownership, operating status, or principal business model.
History
Sonol's historical lineage reaches back to the petroleum activities of Standard Oil of New York, or Socony, in Ottoman and Mandatory Palestine. Socony received permission in 1913 to conduct geological surveys for oil and began preparatory work in the Negev. World War I interrupted drilling plans, and later surveys did not identify commercially exploitable quantities. Socony nevertheless became involved in the region's petroleum-distribution system and joined the Iraq Petroleum Company in 1928. Vacuum Oil Company operated mechanical fuel pumps in Palestine from 1924. Socony and Vacuum merged in 1931 to form Socony-Vacuum Oil Company. During the 1940s, international oil companies including Shell, the Iraq Petroleum Company, and Socony-Vacuum were active in the territory. Socony-Vacuum maintained a local distributing agency that represented a substantial portion of the local oil market. By the late 1940s, its pumps had been converted to electric motor operation. Socony-Vacuum changed its name to Socony Mobil in 1955. In 1956, pressure from Saudi Arabia led the company to terminate its relationship with Israel and dispose of its Israeli interests. Rudolf Sonneborn acquired those operations in 1957, and Sonol became the name used by the Israeli business. The company expanded through acquisitions, purchasing the gas-distribution company Supergas in 1975 and becoming part of Granite Hacarmel Investments in 1981. Sonol bought Vulcan, an automotive-battery producer owned by Koor Industries, in 1990. Vulcan was sold to Focus Capital Group in 2000. Sonol's later development combined forecourt retailing with wholesale fuel supply. In 2004, it announced its own chain of convenience stores, branded So Good, in response to similar moves by competing Israeli fuel companies. The chain reached approximately 140 stores by 2010. Sonol also won several large supply tenders. In 2004, together with a foreign partner, it secured a contract to supply refined fuel to U.S. forces in Iraq. The same year it won a five-year contract to provide crude oil, diesel, and gasoline to Dead Sea Works. After Israel opened its jet-fuel market to competition, Sonol won a 2008 tender to supply jet fuel to seven Star Alliance airlines; the contract was renewed in 2009. In 2012, it won a major tender to supply diesel to Israel Railways in central and southern Israel. A proposed ownership transaction in the mid-2000s became an important corporate turning point. Granite Hacarmel agreed in September 2005 to sell Sonol's 210 stations and other assets to Dor Alon for $155 million. The Antitrust Authority opposed the deal, and the matter reached the Supreme Court. In June 2006, the court suspended the transaction. Azrieli Group subsequently entered the ownership structure of Granite Hacarmel, acquiring 54 percent in October 2010 and increasing its stake to 63.8 percent in December of that year. Sonol has since been indirectly controlled through the Azrieli group. The company also pursued activities beyond conventional petroleum retail. It launched or participated in campaigns with charitable organizations, entered an agreement with Better Place to deploy electric-vehicle battery-recharging equipment at its stations, and offered fuel containing a Lubrizol additive promoted as reducing emissions in a cited study. These initiatives reflected both the diversification of station services and the emerging pressure on fuel companies to address transportation emissions. Sonol's operations have attracted political and regulatory scrutiny. In 2020, the United Nations included it in a database of companies linked to business activities in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Golan Heights. The listing generated criticism concerning corporate participation in settlement-related commerce. The available reference material does not provide a subsequent corporate response or indicate that Sonol ceased operating.
- 2020
United Nations settlement-business database listing
[1]Sonol is named in a United Nations database concerning companies associated with business activity in Israeli settlements and occupied territories.
- 2012
Israel Railways diesel tender
[1]Sonol wins a three-year contract to supply diesel to Israel Railways in central and southern regions.
- 2011
Electric-vehicle charging agreement
[1]Sonol and Better Place agree to deploy battery-recharging terminals at Sonol stations.
- 2010
Azrieli Group gains control of Granite Hacarmel
[1]Azrieli Group acquires a controlling interest in Granite Hacarmel, placing Sonol under indirect Azrieli control.
- 2006
Supreme Court suspends proposed sale
[1]The Israeli Supreme Court suspends the proposed transaction after antitrust opposition.
- 2005
Proposed sale to Dor Alon
[1]Granite Hacarmel agrees to sell Sonol's stations and other assets to Dor Alon, subject to regulatory review.
- 2004
So Good convenience-store chain announced
[1]Sonol establishes a branded convenience-store concept for its service stations.
- 2000
Vulcan divested
[1]Vulcan is sold to Focus Capital Group.
- 1990
Vulcan acquired
[1]Sonol purchases the Vulcan automotive-battery business from Koor Industries.
- 1981
Acquisition by Granite Hacarmel
[1]Granite Hacarmel Investments acquires Sonol.
Products and positioning
A major Israeli fuel-distribution and service-station operator serving motorists, commercial customers, industrial users, airlines, and public-sector organizations.
Fuel retail
Automotive fuels
Sonol's core offering is the retail distribution of gasoline and diesel through its Israeli service-station network. The stations serve private motorists, commercial fleets, and other road users. Fuel retail has remained the central activity around which Sonol has built convenience services and broader customer relationships.
Convenience retail · 2004
So Good
So Good is Sonol's branded service-station convenience-store format. Introduced in the 2000s, it reflected the Israeli fuel industry's move toward forecourt retail beyond fuel alone. By 2010, the format reportedly operated at about 140 locations, offering station customers convenience-oriented merchandise and services.
Wholesale energy supply
Commercial fuel supply
Sonol supplies petroleum products to institutional, industrial, transport, aviation, and public-sector customers. Its documented contracts have included crude oil, gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, and refined products for customers such as Dead Sea Works, airlines, Israel Railways, and U.S. forces in Iraq.
Alternative mobility infrastructure · 2011
Electric-vehicle charging deployment
In 2011, Sonol agreed with Better Place to place electric-car battery-recharging terminals at Sonol stations. The initiative represented an attempt to extend the service-station network into emerging electric-mobility infrastructure, although the reference material does not establish the program's long-term scale or current status.
Gas distribution · 1975
Supergas
Supergas was a gas-distribution business acquired by Sonol in 1975. It represented an expansion beyond liquid automotive fuels into gas supply. The available reference material does not establish whether the business remains part of Sonol's current portfolio.
Automotive batteries · 1990
Vulcan
Vulcan was an automotive-battery manufacturer acquired by Sonol from Koor Industries in 1990. Sonol later divested the business in 2000, making it a historical rather than current offering.
Controversies
2020
United Nations listing over settlement-related activities
The United Nations included Sonol in a database of companies associated with business activities in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Golan Heights. The listing prompted criticism concerning corporate involvement in territories whose status is disputed and whose settlements are regarded as illegal under international law by the United Nations framework cited in the reference material.
Marketing campaigns
- 2007Larger Than Life fundraising campaign
Israel
Sonol launched a nationwide fundraising initiative for Larger Than Life, a nonprofit focused on improving the lives of children and teenagers with cancer.
- 2005JDRF diabetes fundraising campaign
Israel
Sonol conducted a nationwide fundraising campaign with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to support young people affected by diabetes and contribute to medical research.
Brand decisions
2012
Israel Railways diesel-supply contractOtherBackground
Israel Railways required a large, multi-year supply of diesel for operations in central and southern Israel.
Action taken
Sonol won a three-year tender to provide diesel to Israel Railways.
2011
Agreement to deploy Better Place charging terminalsProduct launchBackground
Electric-vehicle infrastructure was emerging as a potential extension of the traditional service-station model.
Action taken
Sonol agreed with Better Place to install electric-car battery-recharging terminals at Sonol stations.
2011
Introduction of additive-containing fuelProduct launchBackground
Sonol sought to offer a fuel product associated with reduced emissions.
Action taken
Stations began selling fuel containing an additive produced by Lubrizol.
Aftermath
The additive was described in a cited study as reducing fumes and carbon-dioxide emissions, although the reference material provides no later performance data.
2005
Proposed sale of Sonol to Dor AlonM&ABackground
Granite Hacarmel sought to sell Sonol's network of approximately 210 gas stations and other assets.
Action taken
Granite Hacarmel agreed to a proposed sale to Dor Alon, but the Antitrust Authority opposed the transaction and pursued legal action.
Aftermath
The Supreme Court suspended the deal in 2006, and the transfer to Dor Alon did not proceed.
Proposed transaction value. (2005)
2004
Launch of So Good convenience storesStrategyBackground
Israeli fuel retailers were broadening their station businesses as competition increasingly included convenience retail.
Action taken
Sonol established its own branded convenience-store chain at service stations under the So Good name.
Aftermath
The format expanded to approximately 140 stores by 2010, according to the reference material.
Recent events
- 2011
Sonol and Better Place agree on electric-vehicle battery-recharging deployment[1]
Product launch
Sonol entered an agreement with Better Place to install electric-car battery-recharging terminals at Sonol stations.
- 2011
Sonol begins offering fuel containing emissions-reduction additive[1]
Product launch · Other
Sonol stations began offering fuel containing an additive made by Lubrizol, which a cited study associated with lower fumes and carbon-dioxide emissions.
Sources1 sources
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