Cepsa buys the network of ‘low cost’ gas stations Ballenoil. The second Spanish oil company takes over some 200 service stations, until there are more than 2,000 service stations in the Iberian Peninsula. In Spain the company has about 1,500 locations, to which another 300 are added in Portugal. The company will maintain the Ballenoil brandjust like him low cost business model to “offer the market a range of fuels with economical prices”.
Cepsa’s plan is keep growing in this new market niche until reaching the 500 stations of Ballenoil in 2027, as Ballenoil planned. “Our objective is to consolidate Ballenoil as featured brand of the low cost model and position it as a reference in terms of sustainability in this segment,” explains in a statement the director of Mobility & New Commerce at Cepsa, Pierre-Yves Sachet.
The Ballenoil station network, which is part of the “revolutionary” business model that changed the concept of the traditional gas station by betting on automated service stations with lower prices. These types of gas stations, which exploded in the heat of the economic crisis in 2008, offer a 24-hour service with staff only in business hoursas well as services carwash.
But Cepsa also aspires to convert its new low cost brand in “referring to sustainability in the low cost segment”. Thus, it will progressively strengthen its offer of electric charging points and will incorporate the sale of biofuels in those locations.
Currently, Cepsa has “built” more than 130 ultra-fast charging points in its service stations and advances in the development of other 330 with the goal of having more than 1,000 in its network of stations by 2030. These chargers of at least 150kW allow recharging in approximately 10 minutes (to charge approximately 80% of the battery), depending on the vehicle model.
Related news
In parallel to this new expansion in the low-cost segment, the company that runs Maarten Wetselaar will maintain its ‘premium’ model of Cepsa service stations, where customers can enjoy a multi-energy and ultra-convenience offeringincluding additional services catering, supermarket, package collection or parapharmacy and will continue to develop its fidelazation program to provide greater discounts and advantages to its customers.
Cepsa has the platform Cepsa Gow for customer loyalty, to which will now be added the application of Ballenoil ‘Easy Fuel’as well as a ‘low cost’ service that allows users to identify themselves through their ID, called ‘DNI&Go’. “We will continue, in parallel, transforming our network of premium stations, where customers will find different increasingly decarbonized energy solutions and complementary catering and ultra-convenience services,” he reiterates. Pierre-Yves Sachet.