BP Amoco PLC unveiled plans Monday to build a new, unified global brand and update its 28,000 retail sites around the world over the next 4 years. The revamp comes 12 years after BP's sites were last modernized and 20 years after the refurbishment of Amoco's network.
BP Amoco�which consists of the former British Petroleum PLC, Amoco Corp., ARCO, and Burmah Castrol companies�is changing its name to simply BP. And the BP shield and Amoco torch logos are being replaced by a green, white, and yellow sunburst-design symbol that BP calls the Helios mark, after the sun god of ancient Greece.
"...The new logo is intended to exemplify dynamic energy in all its forms, including oil and gas to solar, that the company delivers to its 10 million daily customers around the world," said BP.
BP aims to expand its worldwide retail business by more than 10%/year during the next 3 years. The new logo's appearance on retail pole-signs will be phased to coincide with the updating of the company's retail network.
The first new retail sites will open later this year in London, Cleveland, and Indianapolis, based on a "radical" prototype service station BP perfected over the last 3 months at a secret warehouse location in Atlanta.
"The new sites will offer customers proprietary cleaner-burning fuels, Castrol lubricants, and in-store 'e-kiosks,' where customers can check weather and traffic conditions, pay without cash or credit cards, and call up directions to local destinations," said BP. "While filling their tanks, customers can use a touch-screen monitor to order food, which will be waiting for them inside the store."
The e-kiosks will also offer sports scores and news headlines.
BP's new sites will be partly powered by solar energy.
BP says it will retain the value of its strong product brands, such as Castrol lubricants. All of its US retail sites east of the Rockies will continue to sell Amoco-branded fuel products. BP also will retain the ARCO brand and marketing strategy at its 1,800 retail outlets on the US West Coast.
