BPCL to sell 'Speed 97' in the north

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) is planning to introduce its high octane petrol 'Speed 97' in five major cities of the north. It is currently available in just eight cities across the country.

Besides this, it will also focus on its retailing concept under the 'In & Out Convenience Store' brand through its retail outlets. The stores will offer a wide range of products and services for the customers under a single roof.

Talking to Business Standard, Arjun Hira, general manager, marketing-north, BPCL, said, "Speed 97 is presently available in seven big cities in the country and over 20 cities across the country are being targeted for this fuel.

"In the northern region their number would be about six. We would be starting shortly with Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Jalandhar. The fuel costs Rs 55 a litre making it costlier by Rs 8 than normal petrol," he said.

It is a blend of high-octane petrol and contains multi functional additives, enabling the high performance vehicles to remove harmful deposits from components. It has specially designed components for high-performance engines like that in the Opel Astra, Hyundai Accent, Palio, Mercedes Benz and Ferrari. "The company is also planning to add In & Out Convenience stores in the north. Currently, it has over 500 such stores across more than 120 cities in India and about 140 in the northern region.

"With the rapid growth of organised retailing in the country and changing consumer lifestyle, the twin initiatives of PetroBonus and In & Out Convenience Store would offer customers an international shopping and transaction experience. These stores would sell a variety of products including everyday household goods," he said.

These stores would be added to the fuel pumps in the region soon. The convenience store network in the region would be increased. But he says that the company's focus would not be on adding a large number of retail outlets as it wants to focus on the existing ones.

"We are not contemplating to add a large number of retail outlets in the region. Currently, we have about 2400 retail outlets, we would be adding only 40 new outlets. Our focus would be to take the maximum benefit out of the existing outlets and improve their quality and service further," adds Hira.