Fresh is a new food range, with an emphasis on fresh fruit and veg, delicious baked goods, tasty home-meal replacements and grab 'n go meals for busy commuters.
Year-on-year, there has been a 25% increase in sales and the company is now tracking 7.4% ahead of the national retail convenience sector. The introduction of its Fresh stores is likely to see this lead increase.
Troy Maidwell, head of BP Convenience says Fresh is the logical evolution of the C-store. "Gone are the days when consumers were happy with limited 'dashboard dining' - an emphasis on healthy eating and the resurgence of home cooking means they want fresh produce and quality ingredients to be available 24/7, which is exactly what the stores will provide.
"Lifestyles have changed dramatically since we launched our first convenience forecourts in 1994. It is no longer about just filling up with petrol - it is about making our time-strapped lives easier by offering an all-in-one retail solution. The fact that cellphone airtime is our biggest in-store seller shows that consumers turn to us for all their day-to-day needs.
"One of the aims of the upgrade project is to institute power efficiency wherever possible and to offer our customers Wi-Fi so they can keep in touch no matter where they are."
WBC has a presence in 120 of the 170 BP Express stores across South Africa and is already one of the country's largest convenience retailers of coffee, pies and muffins. It sells two million cups of coffee a year (the WBC global average is 100 cups per store per day) and more than 100 000 pies every Friday pie day. Hot meals and beverages consumed on site will be the focus of WBC, while Fresh will cater to shoppers who want to grab and go, while also filling up.
BP South Africa is the top three in terms of profitability for the international WBC market; the brand has locations in Australia, the UK, Austria, Poland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland.
Maidwell believes that the multi-million rand upgrade will have positive spin-offs. "These will become the convenience stores that offer the best fresh costumer solution in the industry. We are confident that we will extend our foothold as the most recognised and preferred petroleum brand in South Africa."
