South Africa’s second-largest petroleum network, Astron Energy, is rapidly rebranding Caltex service stations nationwide.
Astron Energy entered the South African market in 2018 when Glencore purchased Chevron South Africa. Since then, it has been operating the Caltex brand through a license agreement with Chevron, which is set to expire in 2024.
In August 2021, the company announced that the network of over 850 Caltex service stations in South Africa and Botswana will be rebranded in a phased manner. It explained that the rebranding from Caltex to Astron Energy would be undertaken over a few years.
Astron Energy CEO Thabiet Booley said this is an important step in the group’s ambition to become the biggest fuel brand in South Africa. Astron Energy said it was confident there would be little resistance to replacing the Caltex brand, the second largest fuel brand in South Africa behind Engen.
In September 2022, Astron Energy unveiled its first new-look petrol station in South Africa. It said it was the start of becoming “the next biggest fuel brand” in the country. Astron Energy said it focussed on clean bathrooms, proper lighting, and security, which were at the top of the list of things that make a great service station.
In July 2023, the company announced that it had rebranded 100 service stations as part of its large rebranding project. “We have received a huge amount of interest from the public and potential investors and retailers who see potential in something fresh in market,” the company said.
Farouk Farista, general manager of retail sales and marketing for Astron Energy, said the company was rebranding service stations site by site. “We are introducing our new brand and offerings to customers, including our exciting instant Rewards programme,” Farista said.
In May 2023, Astron Energy signed a 10-year partnership extension agreement with one of South Africa’s leading forecourt retail brands, FreshStop. FreshStop is part of the Food Lover’s Market group of companies and has been operating forecourt retail at Caltex stations in South Africa for 15 years.
330 Astron Energy and Caltex service stations feature a FreshStop, which houses several on-the-go food offerings and Seattle Coffee outlets. Across its 330 stores, FreshStop boasts Seattle Coffee Company outlets at 126, Crispy Chicken at 154, Grill-to-Go at 102, Fill A Kota at 42, Sausage Saloon at 22, and Manhattan Coffee at 23.
Full story at New petrol station brand spreading across South Africa – BusinessTech
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