Astron fuels embark on a process to rebrand its 850 service stations in SA

South African petroleum seller Astron has announced a move to rebrand its service stations and change them from being known as Caltex. 
 
Astron has begun its process of renaming its 850 service stations across South Africa as it was formerly known as Caltex. 
 
The company says rebranding is a key milestone of becoming the next biggest fuel brand in South Africa, and the most significant change in the South African liquid fuels industry in three decades, the company says. 
 
“Our new brand presents us with the perfect opportunity to put the foundation stones in place as part of our drive to create connected customer journeys and connect with communities to unlock value in fuel, retail, and beyond,” says Astron CEO Thabiet Booley. 
 
According to Engineering News, the first Astron sites to feature the new brand include Chuenespoort along the R37 in Limpopo; KwaMakhuta, in Amanzimtoti, and Nandi in eThekwini, in KwaZulu-Natal; and MACS in Brooklyn, in the Eastern Cape. 
 
The engineering portal published that the entire network of more than 850 Caltex sites in South Africa will be rebranded over the coming months, followed by those that are outside of the country, such as in Botswana. 
 
Furthermore, the company’s Cape Town refinery, its lubricants manufacturing plant in Durban, 15 terminals, 180 commercial and industrial sites, as well as corporate facilities are set to follow in the not-so-distant future. 
 
“Our ambition as Astron is clear and our new brand allows us to step confidently into the future, one in which we aim to welcome customers to our exciting new-look forecourts and experiences,” added Booley. 
 
“It positions the company well for a future in which forecourts will become one-stop centres of excellence and hyper convenience to cater to the demands of the modern, mobile and connected consumer.” 
 
The CEO says about 20 regional teams will be working hard and simultaneously across the country to rebrand forecourts to Astron. 
 
In the process, the teams will clock an estimated 741 888 resource hours on site, install 1.3-million light-emitting diodes, manufacture 63 shipping containers or 27 soccer fields worth of orange and charcoal forecourt canopy cladding, covering a total of 192 796 m2 and use 6 224 holding down bolts for forecourt pylons. 
 
As part of the new brand, the petroleum company is also looking at launching a new rewards programme, giving clients an opportunity to redeem daily rewards as part of a move towards gamification.  

Image: Astron Fuels/TheSouthAfrican