New petrol station brand spreading across South Africa
South Africa’s second-largest petroleum network, Astron Energy, is rapidly rebranding Caltex service stations nationwide.
Astron Energy entered the South African market in 2018 when Glencore purchased Chevron South Africa.
Since then, it has been operating the Caltex brand through a license agreement with Chevron, which is set to expire in 2024.
In 2021, Astron Energy has taken the opportunity to consolidate its operations under a single, unifying brand identity.
In August 2021, the company announced that the network of over 850 Caltex service stations in South Africa and Botswana will be rebranded in a phased manner.
It also included the refinery in Cape Town, lubricants manufacturing plant in Durban, 15 terminals, 180 commercial and industrial sites, and corporate facilities.
It explained that the rebranding from Caltex to Astron Energy would be undertaken over a few years.
Astron Energy CEO Thabiet Booley said this is an important step in the group’s ambition to become the biggest fuel brand in South Africa.
Astron Energy said it was confident there would be little resistance to replacing the Caltex brand, the second largest fuel brand in South Africa behind Engen.
In September 2022, Astron Energy unveiled its first new-look petrol station in South Africa. It said it was the start of becoming “the next biggest fuel brand” in the country.
Astron Energy said it focussed on clean bathrooms, proper lighting, and security, which were at the top of the list of things that make a great service station.
In July 2023, the company announced that it had rebranded 100 service stations as part of its large rebranding project.
“We have received a huge amount of interest from the public and potential investors and retailers who see potential in something fresh in market,” the company said.
Farouk Farista, general manager of retail sales and marketing for Astron Energy, said the company was rebranding service stations site by site.
“We are introducing our new brand and offerings to customers, including our exciting instant Rewards programme,” Farista said.
In May 2023, Astron Energy signed a 10-year partnership extension agreement with one of South Africa’s leading forecourt retail brands, FreshStop.
FreshStop is part of the Food Lover’s Market group of companies and has been operating forecourt retail at Caltex stations in South Africa for 15 years.
330 Astron Energy and Caltex service stations feature a FreshStop, which houses several on-the-go food offerings and Seattle Coffee outlets.
Across its 330 stores, FreshStop boasts Seattle Coffee Company outlets at 126, Crispy Chicken at 154, Grill-to-Go at 102, Fill A Kota at 42, Sausage Saloon at 22, and Manhattan Coffee at 23.
Astron Energy rapidly expanding across South Africa
Astron Energy is rapidly expanding across South Africa, which the company’s communications manager, Suzanne Pullinger, said is a mammoth project.
“The rebrand from Caltex to Astron Energy is the biggest change in the South African fuel industry in three decades,” Pullinger said.
Since July 2023, Astron Energy has rebranded another 200 petrol stations to its new brand, bringing the total to 300.
Pullinger said the new Astron Energy petrol stations appearing across South Africa continue to attract the attention of the consumer public, investors, and retailers.
She said South African consumers and companies see big potential in something fresh, exciting, and rewarding to the market.
The company has also increased its commitment to South Africa through investments in other parts of the petroleum business.
“We have made significant investments in our refinery in Milnerton and our extensive retail network, which speaks to the solid future we envisage for our company,” she said.
Astron Energy’s acting general manager of commercial and industrial, Axola Myendeki, confirmed their dedication to South Africa.
He said the company is actively considering investing in its refining operations to produce cleaner fuels and assist South Africa with energy security.
“From a perspective of energy security and remaining in the country, we see a lot of upside in terms of the future prospects of the country,” Myendeki said.
“We will probably be making additional investments into the refining capacity and energy securitisation in the country.”
Pullinger explained that this forms a key part of the company’s growth plan to build a future-fit brand.
“Our new brand allows us to step confidently into the future, one in which we aim to welcome customers to our new-look forecourts and experiences,” she said.
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