Texaco retailers in the Carribbean have told local media outlets that their new distributor, Rubis, will begin rebranding fuel service stations from June 2013. The move follows recent efforts by Rubis to introduce itself to the local market by offering customers fuel for under $5 per gallon.
“They are definitely a company that is working with us. Obviously their hands are tied on certain issues, but I think that’s expected with any oil company dealing with the Government. But they are here and they are doing well," said Ryan Knowles, General Manager of Wells Service Station. "They have told us that they are going to rebrand the stations as of June next year. It’s been a pleasant ride from dealing with Chevron and going to Rubis. They were able to show that to the public by giving that special fuel price to the public at $4.90 at the beginning of August, and that led to a good boost in sales.”
Another General Manager for a local Texaco staion, Rodney Eve, also praised Rubis. "What they were able to do is give us a little more leverage with that prepayment programme that Chevron had started, so Rubis had sort of saved a lot of us by being a little more lenient. You pay for a load and then you don’t pay for the next one until you get the third one, and that has been a great help for us. They are working with us’ it’s a positive thing,” he remarked.
Vitogaz, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rubis, acquired Chevron's fuels marketing and aviation businesses in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Turks & Caicos in May. This included 39 fuel service stations, eight aviation facilities, six fuel terminals and one joint operation at the Nassau airport terminal. Rubis previously bought 174 fuel service stations in the Caribbean and parts of Central America from Chevron in July 2011.
PetrolWorld 24092011