GOODBYE CALTEX, HELLO ASTRON
The first rebranded fuel station in Cape Town is Astron Energy MACS in Brooklyn, along the bustling Koeberg Road. Other stations that have been coated in orange, purple and charcoal include Chuenespoort along the R37 in Limpopo, Nandi in eThekwini and KwaMakhuta in Amanzimtoti.
The bold colours were selected to allow the brand to stand out from its competitors who tend to stick to the colours traditionally favoured by fuel brands.
The entire network of Caltex fuel stations in South Africa will be rebranded eventually. Cambridge Mokanyane, Astron’s Head of Marketing, told The South African the rollout should take approximately four years to complete. Caltex sites in Botswana will follow.
The company’s Cape Town refinery and Lubricants manufacturing plant in Durban will also be rebranded, along with 15 terminals, 180 commercial and industrial sites and corporate facilities.
“Our ambition as Astron Energy 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,” said Astron Energy CEO, Thabiet Booley.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Cambridge Mokanyane, Head of Marketing, Thabiet Booley, CEO, and Jill Koopman, Head of Corporate Affairs. Photo: Storm Simpson/The South African.
GRAND AMBITION
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.
Glencore, the parent company, stirred controversy earlier in 2022 when it pleaded guilty to charges of bribery, corruption market manipulation in the United States and other parts of the world. This caught the eye of the South African parliament, even though the country was not implicated in the scandal. The Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy recommended that the multinational company’s activities in South Africa be investigated.
Astron Energy is confident there will be little resistance to the replacement of the Caltex brand, which is the second largest fuel brand in South Africa behind Engen. Booley and Mokanyane also said jobs and ownership of fuel stations would be unaffected by the rebrand.
According to Mokanyane, global research shows that customers desire “ultimate convenience” – an all-in-one environment that offers fuel, food, banking facilities, drop-boxes for collecting deliveries and more.
Astron Energy MACS forecourt in Cape Town. Photo: Storm Simpson/The South African.
The forecourt at MACS in Cape Town is flanked by two fast food restaurants with a convenience store and ATM facilities in the middle – there’s even a Clicks a stone’s throw away.
Clean bathrooms, proper lighting and security were at the top of the list of things that make a great service station, according to the people who participated in customer engagement surveys.
“Focusing on getting the foundations absolutely right will create the platform for us to build properly and sustainably for the future,” said Booley.
An Astron representative, John Mervis, was unable to provide the exact dates for when the new-look service stations would be popping up across the country. However, three more Astron Energy sites will be unveiled in Gauteng imminently. In Cape Town, stations in Durbanville, Tuscany Glen and Voorbrug will be available before the end of the year.
An Astron Energy attendant dispensing fuel. Photo: Storm Simpson/The South African.
