Esso to open 100 new fuel stations in next 3 years
Esso (Thailand) plans to open about 100 new petrol stations within the next three years. The company will open 30 petrol stations next year and plans to have 570 operating by 2015.
Yodpong Sutatham, director and retail sales manager at Esso (Thailand), said the firm had given 200 of its petrol stations facelifts over the past two years, and another 100 would be renovated next year.
He added that the company would allocate an investment budget of Bt1 billion for business expansion next year, up from about Bt600 million spent this year.
RETAIL SALES
Esso expects total retail sales of petrol to reach 3 billion litres this year, up 5 per cent over last year, Yodpong said. The firm is currently ranked No 2 in the Thai market with a 17-per-cent share, up from 16 per cent last year. The company expects its market share to stay at the same level next year due to a projected increase in the number of vehicles on the streets.
Yodpong said Esso would increase sales of non-oil products next year.
The company recently opened 55 Mobil 1 Centre premium lube-change service centres at its petrol stations, in alliance with M1 Auto Network.
“We [Esso] gave up selling lubricant under the Esso brand and will turn all oil-change service centres at our 200 Esso stations to Mobile 1 Centres.
“The move will help increase our sales of lubricant products,” he said.
