Chevron to remove name from stations

NEW YORK (AP) — Chevron will pull its name from about 1,100 service stations in eastern states, the oil giant said Friday.

It’s just the latest oil company to cut back on retail operations where profit margins can be razor thin.

BP PLC, Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips have stepped away from the retail side in varying degrees over the past 18 months.

Chevron Corp. says it will withdraw from motor-fuels operations in Washington, D.C., and 12 states from Indiana to South Carolina by the middle of 2010.

The company, based in San Ramon, Calif., ships about 2.3 million gallons of gasoline a day to those areas.

Customers in the affected states still will be able to buy gas at the service stations as the owners move to other brands, company spokesman Lloyd Avram said.