Engen Petroleum, a leading producer and marketer of a wide range of fuels, lubricants and oil-based products has been busy trialling two fresh new concepts in selected outlets as a three-month trial, prior to extending the offerings across Southern African countries.

The first is a concept called Pure Water On Tap. These are essentially Water Bars, developed in conjunction with Pure Life. They offer customers local water which has been purified via reverse osmosis. Customers are able to fill their own bottles or purchase bottles on-site. Damon Giraudeaux, Convenience Sales and Marketing Manager in Engen’s International Business Division says that the concept has piloted extremely well, with one outlet reporting a substantial increase in monthly turnover.

“The concept presents an extremely low carbon footprint, offers customers packaging sizes from 500 ML to 10 Litres and takes up minimal space in the Quickshops. As a result, it is extremely versatile and adds significant value to customers, increased footfall to dealers and great returns on Retail space.” The second innovative concept is Biltong Bars – a venture with Closwa Biltong in Namibia. Again, Giraudeaux is thrilled with the significant response that the biltong trial (pre-packed or in bulk) has generated. “This offer is seasonal,” he says, “and only likely to be distributed to an eventual 11 sites across Namibia and Botswana. However, in Okahanja, we have found that the Biltong Bar is the third largest category contributor after Corner Bakery and Cool Drinks.”

Modular units provide for eye-catching and versatile displays, and customers are free to buy their biltong pre-packed or to slice and weigh according to their needs. General Manager of Engen’s International Business Division, Drikus Kotze says Engen continues to target new convenience offerings in its ongoing drive to increase footfall and turnovers throughout its service stations in Southern African.

Engen has a presence in 18 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. Of the 14 member SADC (Southern African Development Community) countries, Engen operates in Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.