Coles Express

Last updated
Coles Express
TypeSubsidiary
Industry Automotive and retail
FoundedJuly 2003;20 years ago (2003-07)
Headquarters
Hawthorn East, Melbourne
,
Australia
Number of locations
723 (2022)
Key people
Leah Weckert (CEO)
Products Petrol, convenience and grocery
Revenue$1.1 billion (2022)
$42 million (2022)
Number of employees
4,800 (2022)
Parent
Website colesexpress.com.au

Coles Express is an Australian chain of convenience stores at Shell Australia petrol stations. Until it became controlled by Viva Energy in May 2023, [1] Coles Express was a trading name of Coles Group. [2]

Contents

The business venture and corresponding fuel discount offer was launched by Coles Myer (predecessor of Coles Group) in July 2003 in response to the similar offer by rival Woolworths some years earlier, proving attractive to shoppers. Coles Myer purchased the retail business of Shell Australia multi-site franchisees for $$94 million. [3] Shell Australia (later also sold to Viva Energy) continue to be the exclusive supplier of fuel products, leases the service station property to Coles, and maintains the presence of the "pecten" and other Shell branding on the price board and other signage.[ citation needed ]

As of 2012, approximately 270 independently franchised Shell service stations remain unassociated with Coles Express where the fuel discount offer is not accepted. [4]

History

Coles Express on Hornibrook Esplanade, Clontarf, Queensland Coles-express-clontarf-queensland.JPG
Coles Express on Hornibrook Esplanade, Clontarf, Queensland
Coles Express on Burwood Highway, Vermont South, Melbourne Coles Express Burwood Highway Vermont South.jpg
Coles Express on Burwood Highway, Vermont South, Melbourne
Coles Express/Hungry Jack's on Elizabeth Street, Hobart Coles Express Elizabeth Street Hobart.jpg
Coles Express/Hungry Jack's on Elizabeth Street, Hobart

The Coles Express brand originally referred to a small number of medium-sized supermarkets Coles ran in the central business districts of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. With the launch of Coles' fuel offer, these were rebranded as Coles Central with the service stations taking the Coles Express branding.

The current Coles Express chain began at more than 150 service stations in Victoria on 28 July 2003. [5] After this initial trial, it was followed by a national roll-out from 1 December the same year, starting with New South Wales, and completed in mid-2004. The initial success of the discount offer saw fuel shortages in Victoria after the offer began in New South Wales – where Shell's busiest sites are located – as Shell failed to cope with the distribution of a 30 percent increase in demand. [6]

As at July 2021, there were 723 Coles Express service stations and stand-alone convenience sites across Australia. [7] All former Shell multi-site franchisee sites became Coles Express stores. This transition included the petrol stations and stand-alone Shell Select convenience stores in Melbourne's CBD (which closed by December 2006).[ citation needed ]

On 20 February 2006, 90 vehicle servicing bays at Coles Express service stations (formerly part of Shell's Autoserv and AutoCare network) became Kmart Tyre & Auto Service outlets. [8]

In 2018 Coles Express started trialling standalone convenience sites in Victoria.

Coles and Viva Energy alliance

On 6 February 2019 Coles Express announced a new alliance partnership with their fuel partner Viva Energy (Shell). Under the agreement Viva Energy is responsible for setting the price of fuel and receives the retail fuel margin. Coles Express receives a commission per litre from Viva Energy based on fuel volumes achieved and has no direct exposure to retail fuel price movements. [9]

In addition to setting fuel pricing Viva Energy is the exclusive supplier of fuel, oil and lubricants. Viva also maintains it pecten and Shell branding as well as all fuel dispensing equipment. Coles Express is responsible for the maintenance of the retail store (including in-store pricing) and the everyday needs of the business.

Sale to Viva Energy

In September 2022 Coles Group announced it had agreed terms with Viva Energy to sell the Coles Express retail business. As part of the deal Flybuys will remain a partner and Coles will continue stocking its own-branded products. [10] [11] [12] The acquisition was completed on 1 May 2023. [13]

Following Viva Energy purchasing the OTR service station chain from Peregrine Corporation, Viva intends to retire the Coles Express brand and rebrand all stores as OTR. [14] [15]

Fuel discount offer

Current fuel discount offers

When a customer spends over a qualifying amount in one transaction at Coles Supermarkets, Coles Central or Coles Online, they are entitled to a fuel discount of 4c per litre or 8 bonus Flybuys points per litre at Coles Express. This discount is obtained by providing a discount voucher, printed at the bottom of their receipt, and includes all Shell fuels. Coles Express also offers a 10c per litre discount on all Shell fuels when a customer spends $20 or more on qualifying products in store, this can be used in addition to the 4c per litre discount voucher.

All discount fuel offers or bonus points offers do not apply to Shell Card, Fleet Card, WEX Motorpass or Motorcharge transactions.

Previous fuel discount offerings

An additional bonus discount was introduced in late 2006, with a further 2c per litre fuel discount when customers spent $2 in-store in the one transaction. [16] The offer was made permanent in April 2007 after rival Caltex Woolworths created a similar offer of an additional 4c discount if customers spend $5 in the one transaction at their petrol stations. The 2c per litre finished on 1 February 2013. Coles Express now offers a "Spend $20 and Save 10 cents per litre" this was launched to an "Everyday" offer in late 2015 and has continued since, variations of this deal are offered occasionally e.g. Buy product X for X dollars and save X cents per litre.

Other variations of the fuel offer have been offered from time to time including:

Related Research Articles

Mobil is a petroleum brand owned and operated by American oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil. The brand was formerly owned and operated by an oil and gas corporation of the same name, which itself merged with Exxon to form ExxonMobil in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convenience store</span> Small store that stocks a range of everyday items

A convenience store, bodega, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as coffee, groceries, fruits, vegetables, snacks, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery tickets, over-the-counter drugs, toiletries, newspapers and magazines. In some jurisdictions, convenience stores are licensed to sell alcoholic drinks, although many jurisdictions limit such beverages to those with relatively low alcohol content, like beer and wine. The stores may also offer money order and wire transfer services, along with the use of a fax machine or photocopier for a small per-copy cost. Some also sell tickets or recharge smart cards, e.g. OPUS cards in Montreal or include a small deli. They differ from general stores and village shops in that they are not in a rural location and are used as a convenient supplement to larger stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filling station</span> Facility which sells gasoline and diesel

A filling station is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline and diesel fuel.

Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd, trading as Coles, is an Australian supermarket, retail and consumer services chain, headquartered in Melbourne as part of the Coles Group. Founded in 1914 in Collingwood by George Coles, Coles operates 846 supermarkets throughout Australia, including several now re-branded Bi-Lo Supermarkets. Coles has over 120,000 employees and accounts for around 27 per cent of the Australian market. Coles' large head office site in Melbourne's inner south-east has 4,000 employees of the workforce located inside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flybuys (Australia)</span> Australian customer loyalty program jointly owned by Coles Group and Wesfarmers

Flybuys is an Australian customer loyalty program equally owned by the Coles Group and Wesfarmers through joint venture Loyalty Pacific. Members can accrue points by shopping at Coles Group brands, certain Wesfarmers brands, and some third-party partners like HCF Health Insurance, Coles Express and Optus. Points can then be redeemed for money off purchases at Coles Supermarkets, Coles Express, Liquorland, Kmart, Officeworks, Target and mycar, as well as holidays and household goods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kmart Australia</span> Australian multinational discount department store chain owned by Wesfarmers

Kmart Australia Limited is an Australian chain of retail department stores owned by the Kmart Group division of Wesfarmers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Target Australia</span> Australian discount department store chain owned by Wesfarmers

Target Australia Pty Ltd is a department store chain owned by Australian retail conglomerate Wesfarmers. Target stocks clothing, cosmetics, homewares, electronics, books, and toys selling both in-store and online. The company's head office is located in the Melbourne suburb of Williams Landing and opened in 2018. Despite the identical logo, name and similar type of outlets, Target Australia carries no direct relation or affiliation to the American big box retailer Target Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wesfarmers</span> Australian conglomerate

Wesfarmers Limited is an Australian conglomerate, headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. It has interests predominantly in Australia and New Zealand, operating in retail, chemical, fertiliser, industrial and safety products. With revenue of A$30.8 billion in the 2020 financial year, it is one of Australia's largest companies by revenue. Wesfarmers is also one of the largest private employers in Australia, with approximately 107,000 employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EG Australia</span> Australian convenience store and fuel station chain owned by British EG Group

EG Australia is the Australian subsidiary of British company EG Group which operates the EG Ampol chain of petrol stations, selling Ampol fuel at its stations. As of October 2022, there are over 540 EG Ampol petrol stations. The service stations were acquired from Woolworths in April 2019 for $1.72 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caltex</span> International petroleum brand owned by Chevron Corporation

Caltex is a petroleum brand name of Chevron Corporation used in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Southern Africa. It is also the brand name of non-Chevron petroleum companies in some countries under a trademark licensing agreement with Chevron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">On the Run (convenience store)</span> Convenience store brand

On the Run is a flagship convenience store brand developed by ExxonMobil, used at Exxon and Mobil stations in the United States and at Esso and Mobil stations internationally. Alimentation Couche-Tard acquired the On the Run trademark and franchise network in the U.S. in 2009, and Parkland Fuel did the same in Canada in 2016; ExxonMobil retains full ownership of the brand in the rest of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ampol</span> Australian multinational petroleum retail company

Ampol Limited is an Australian petroleum company headquartered in Sydney, New South Wales. Ampol is the largest transport energy distributor and retailer in Australia, with more than 1,900 Ampol-branded stations across the country as of October 2022. Ampol also operates in New Zealand through its subsidiary Z Energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuel card</span>

A fuel card or fleet card is used as a payment card most commonly for gasoline, diesel, and other fuels at gas stations. Fleet cards can also be used to pay for vehicle maintenance and expenses at the discretion of the fleet owner or manager. Most fuel cards are charge cards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coles Group</span> Australian public company

Coles Group Limited is an Australian public company operating several retail chains. Its chief operations are primarily concerned with the sale of food and groceries through its flagship supermarket chain Coles Supermarkets, and the sale of liquor through its Coles Liquor outlets. Since its foundation in Collingwood, Victoria in 1914, Coles has grown to become the second-largest retailer in Australia after its principal rival, Woolworths, in terms of revenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everyday Rewards</span> Australian customer loyalty program

Everyday Rewards, formerly Woolworths Rewards, is a customer loyalty program owned and operated in Australia by Woolworths Group. Members can earn points in the program from Woolworths Group companies, as well as partner brands like Ampol, Bupa and Origin Energy. Qantas Frequent Flyer program members can convert 2,000 Everyday Rewards points to 1,000 Frequent Flyer points as part of a partnership between the two companies.

The Peregrine Corporation is an Australian privately owned company which operates the On The Run brand of service stations and convenience stores in South Australia, as well as the Smokemart & GiftBox tobacconists vape & variety retail stores nationwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viva Energy</span> Oil company based in Australia

Viva Energy is an Australian company that owns the Geelong Oil Refinery and retails Shell-branded fuels across Australia under a license agreement. It also owns and retails Liberty Oil and Westside Petroleum-branded service stations. In total, Viva Energy supplies a network of over 1,330 fuel outlets across Australia. In addition to the Geelong Refinery, it imports fuel supplied by Vitol through 22 import terminals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberty Oil</span> Australian convenience store and fuel station chain owned by Viva Energy

Liberty Oil is an Australian petroleum distributor and retailer. It is a subsidiary of Viva Energy.

Australia is a major petroleum producer and importer, with a number of petroleum companies involved in upstream and downstream operations. Western Australia is the largest contributor to Australia's production of most petroleum products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OTR (convenience store)</span> Australian convenience store chain owned by Viva Energy

OTR, formerly On the Run, is an Australian chain of petrol stations and convenience stores based in South Australia. It is unrelated to ExxonMobil's On the Run store branding.

References

  1. ↑ "Viva Energy completes acquisition of Coles Express". Viva Energy. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  2. ↑ "Coles Group Limited 2022 Annual Report" (PDF). Coles Group. August 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  3. ↑ "Fletcher upbeat about Coles Express". Australian Financial Review . 2003-10-15. Archived from the original on 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
  4. ↑ "About Us". Eureka Operations Pty Ltd. 2016. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 2016-10-05.
  5. ↑ "Coles fuel offer extending after trial". B&T. 2003-10-30. Archived from the original on June 29, 2004. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
  6. ↑ "Coles runs short on petrol". Sydney Morning Herald . 2003-12-09. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
  7. ↑ Coles Express supports basketball across the country as new naming rights partner of NBL1 Coles Express 15 July 2021
  8. ↑ "Coles Myer adds to Kmart fuel load". The Australian . 2006-01-08. Archived from the original on 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
  9. ↑ Mitchell, Sue; Macdonald-Smith, Angela (6 February 2019). "Coles signs new fuel deal with Viva, says convenience earnings will fall 62pc". Australian Financial Review .
  10. ↑ "Coles offloads 710 Coles Express petrol stations in $300 million sale". Nine.com.au . 21 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  11. ↑ Koehn, Emma (2022-09-21). "As Coles lets Express go, convenience stores are ripe for shake-up". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  12. ↑ "Coles to sell its fuel & convenience business to Viva Energy" (PDF). Australian Securities Exchange. Coles Group. 21 September 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2022.
  13. ↑ Packham, Colin (2023-05-01). "Viva closes deal for Coles Express to accelerate convenience shift" . Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  14. ↑ Keane, Daniel (2023-04-05). "Servo chain OTR to be sold for $1.15 billion in move to 'replace' Coles Express across 700 sites". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  15. ↑ Petrol station shakeup: goodbye Coles Express, hello OTR Sydney Morning Herald 23 August 2023
  16. ↑ "Coles Express Special Offers Save up to 6c a litre on Fuel". Eureka Operations Pty Ltd. 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.