The strategy includes a combination of traditional and the new self-service station model with digital payment solutions and access to the company’s loyalty programme.
Mobil Express sites will offer the same fuels it offers at other stations, and will offer secure payment options such as Pay at Pump and Pay in Car via the Mobil Smiles app.
Mobil Oil NZ retail manager John Masters said the sites are designed to make refuelling convenient while maintaining the advantages customers expect from Mobil.
“At Mobil, we’re committed to growing our convenience retail offering in a way that complements our core fuel business,” Masters said.
“We’re optimising our footprint and evolving our store formats, including the introduction of the new self-service station model where appropriate.”
The new offering will compete with the offerings from Z Energy’s U-GO stations and Waitomo Petrol’s offering.
Regulator taking action
The news follows an announcement by the Commerce Commission that it is taking legal action against the fuel company for the way it sets wholesale petrol prices.
The regulator has alleged Mobil breached fuel industry rules by not being transparent in the way it sets the prices for independent petrol stations.
Law changes in 2020 required fuel companies to disclose their prices, among other rules, to improve competition in the sector, with even-handed treatment between company-owned stations and independent retailers.
Commissioner Bryan Chapple said it believed Mobil has been breaching one rule since November 2021 and a second rule since August 2022.
The maximum penalty is $5 million for each breach.
Mobil said it would defend the charges brought by the Commerce Commission.
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.
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