What Primagaz does

Primagaz is a French distributor of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), founded in 1934 and headquartered in Paris La Défense, operating as one of four major LPG distributors in the French market alongside Antargaz, Butagaz, and Vitogaz. The company supplies propane and butane to residential customers via above-ground and buried tanks (citernes) and to both residential and professional customers via bottled gas, while also designing and maintaining private gas networks for larger sites. Its commercial footprint spans more than 50,000 retail points of sale and a network of over 1,000 accredited partner installers, supported by regional offices across metropolitan France.

The company's product portfolio includes standard propane/butane, automatic-delivery tank subscriptions (Citern'Optimum, which uses telemetry and weather data to schedule refills), and biopropane, in which Primagaz was a first mover in France in 2018. In early 2026 it extended its renewable-gas line with the Bio Twiny Propane 5.1kg bottle, the first commercial biogaz bottle distributed in metropolitan France. Professional customers are served across multiple verticals including agriculture, tourism and hospitality, healthcare, senior housing, real estate, and industry, with value-added services such as CEE energy-renovation assistance and accredited installation.

Primagaz generates revenue through a mix of transactional gas sales (bottles, bulk delivery), recurring tank rental and subscription fees, installation services delivered via partner installers, and increasingly service attach such as CEE program administration. Customer satisfaction is reported at 8.7/10 and the company holds an EcoVadis Medal awarded in 2025. The business model is fundamentally physical-asset-intensive: revenue scales with gas volume throughput, tank and bottle installed base, and the density of the certified installer and retail network.

Name

Primagaz

Legal name

Primagaz

Website

https://primagaz.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Primagaz is a French LPG distributor founded in 1934, supplying propane and butane in tanks, bottles, and private networks to residential and professional customers across France via 50,000+ retail points and 1,000+ installers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) Distribution

NAICS

Natural Gas Distribution (2212), Fuel Dealers (457210)

SIC

Natural Gas Distribution (4924), Wholesale-Petroleum Bulk Stations & Terminals (5171)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial CNG/LNG Supply & Distribution (Virtual Pipelines, Trucking, Satellite Storage) (EUALALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Green Gas / RNG Retail Programs & Claims Marketing (EUAAADAG)

Keywords

• LPG distribution
• Propane gas supply
• Butane gas bottles
• Gas tank installation
• Renewable biopropane

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Gas Supply (Citerne/Tank): Recurring revenue from propane and butane gas supply to residential and professional customers with installed tanks. Customers pay subscription fees covering tank installation, automatic or on-demand delivery, security services, maintenance, and sometimes termination fees. Pricing varies based on contract duration, services selected, and consumption levels.
2. Bottle Gas Sales: One-time revenue from sale of propane and butane gas bottles. Customers pay consignment deposit (refundable) plus the gas price set by resellers. Available through 50,000 retail points of sale including gas stations and convenience stores.
3. Professional Services: Additional services including tank installation, maintenance contracts, inspection services, and energy renovation support. CEE (Certificates of Energy Savings) subsidies are also facilitated for customers undertaking energy renovation work.
4. GPL Carburant (AutoFuel): LPG used as vehicle fuel distributed through gas stations, providing an alternative fuel option with lower CO2 emissions than gasoline.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Primagaz distributes propane and butane LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) to residential customers and professional sectors across France through gas tank (citerne) installations, bottled gas sales, private buried gas networks, and vehicle fuel solutions. The company supplies gas to rural households not connected to natural gas infrastructure as well as professional sectors including agriculture, hospitality, construction, real estate, healthcare, industry, and local government. Supplementary offerings include tank installation, automated delivery, maintenance contracts, energy renovation CEE subsidy support, and 100% renewable biopropane.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bio Twiny: 100% biopropane bottled gas product line

Products and services

• Citerne (Tank) LPG Supply Recurring subscription-based supply of propane or butane via installed above-ground or buried gas tanks for residential and professional customers, including automatic or on-demand delivery, tank rental, security and maintenance services.
• Propane 13kg Bottle Standard 13kg propane gas bottle for residential and light professional use, distributed through gas stations, convenience stores, and supermarkets across France. Sold with a refundable consignment deposit.
• Butane 13kg Bottle Standard 13kg butane gas bottle for indoor residential use (heating, cooking, hot water), distributed through retail points of sale across France with a refundable consignment deposit.
• Twiny Butane 6kg Bottle Compact 6kg butane bottle from the Twiny range for smaller residential and indoor applications including cooking and heating, distributed through retail points of sale with a refundable deposit.
• Propane 35kg Bottle Large-format 35kg propane bottle designed for professional and high-consumption use cases, distributed through retail points of sale across France with a refundable deposit.
• Propane 13kg Carburation Bottle Specialized 13kg propane bottle for use as vehicle fuel (GPL carburant), distributed with a refundable deposit for automotive LPG applications offering lower CO2 emissions than gasoline.
• Bio Twiny Propane 5.1kg (Biopropane Bottle) 100% renewable biopropane (biogaz) in a compact 5.1kg bottle, produced from recycled and vegetable oils, reducing CO2 emissions by 73% compared to standard propane and 77% compared to fuel oil. Available across metropolitan France.
• Biopropane (Citerne/Tank Renewable Propane) 100% renewable propane produced from recycled oils and vegetable oils, distributed via citerne tank installations for residential and professional customers. First-to-market renewable LPG solution in France.
• Private Gas Network (Gaz en réseau privé) Buried canalized gas network system that distributes propane from a central tank to multiple buildings in collective housing, real estate developments, or commercial sites. Primagaz handles full installation and connection, offering simplified energy management.
• GNL (LNG) Tank Solutions Liquefied natural gas (GNL) tank supply for industrial and large-scale professional customers with high-volume energy needs.
• GPL Carburant (LPG Vehicle Fuel) LPG sold as vehicle fuel through gas stations, providing an alternative automotive fuel option with lower CO2 emissions than gasoline.
• Forklift LPG Supply LPG fuel supply for forklift and material handling equipment in industrial and warehouse operations, supporting continuous professional logistics operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Biopropane reduces CO2 emissions by 73% compared to standard propane and 77% compared to fuel oil (Base Carbone Ademe version 20.0)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Certified Heating Installer Network (1,000+ partners)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExtensive network of over 1,000 certified heating engineers and installers (chauffagistes) across France who install gas equipment and recommend Primagaz solutions to customers. These partners provide installation, maintenance, and customer referrals.
• QualigazcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCertification organization for gas installations. Qualigaz issues certificates of conformity for gas installations and provides verification services for compliance with safety regulations.
• DekracoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInspection and certification organization providing periodic tank inspections and gas installation diagnostics required for compliance with safety regulations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Butagaz: One of the four major LPG (propane/butane) distributors in France alongside Primagaz. Butagaz serves residential citerne and bottle customers with comparable offerings and similar multi-channel distribution across France.
• Antargaz: Direct competitor in the French LPG market, also among the four major nationwide distributors. Antargaz operates the same tank and bottle distribution model with comparable professional and residential customer segments.
• Vitogaz: The fourth major French LPG distributor, sharing Primagaz's national coverage and operating with the same citerne and bottle business model serving both residential and professional customers.

Broad incumbents

• SHV Energy: Leading global LPG distributor (parent of Calor and other European LPG brands) operating across multiple countries with larger scale and broader geographic footprint than France-only Primagaz. Offers overlapping LPG distribution capabilities as part of a multinational portfolio.
• UGI International: European LPG arm of UGI Corporation, the same parent of France's Antargaz and historical owner of Primagaz. Operates LPG distribution across multiple European markets at significantly larger scale than Primagaz's France-only business.
• Engie France: Dominant French gas utility with extensive natural gas distribution network and growing renewable gas offerings. Engie competes with Primagaz for residential and professional energy customers, particularly for off-grid properties where it markets substitute solutions (biomethane, heat pumps).
• TotalEnergies France: Major French energy major offering natural gas, electricity, and petroleum products including LPG distribution at scale. Competes with Primagaz on gas supply but as part of a much broader energy portfolio covering upstream, refining, and power.

Regional players

• Calor Gas: UK-based LPG distributor owned by SHV Energy, offering the same propane/butane tank and bottle model for off-grid homes and businesses. Closely comparable in product offering but does not compete in the French market.
• Repsol Butano: Spanish LPG distributor within Repsol's portfolio, operating the same bottled LPG / tank gas (butano/propano) business targeting residential and professional customers. Comparable product mix but focused on Iberia, not France.
• Eni Gas e Luce: Italy-based energy retailer (Eni Plenitude) that distributes LPG alongside natural gas and electricity, serving residential and small business customers across Italy with comparable bundled energy supply offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/primagaz_france
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PrimagazFr/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/Primagaz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/primagaz
• Instagraminstagram.com/primagaz_fr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Primagaz