Gulf Retail has freshened its forecourt image as part of a major investment programme to strengthen and grow its dealer network.
The modern new look will start to roll-out late summer and comes on the back of its recently launched Oomph loyalty platform.
The re-brand has been undertaken in conjunction with Oakwood, a Bristol-based brand agency whose global clients include Gulf Oil International, working on its sponsor partnerships with Manchester United and the Gulf Aprilia MotoGP team.
Visitors to the Forecourt Show, taking place at the NEC, Birmingham from 8-10 April can see the new livery on stand W121.
“We worked with Oakwood for this project because of its strong credentials in the retail sector and its understanding of the challenges that exist within our industry,” explained retail marketing manager Gerry Welsh.
“We wanted to create a modern, fresh and eye-catching look that could work across a wide variety of forecourt shapes, sizes and layouts. It also required a practical approach in terms of costs, installation and maintenance. Our engineering personnel and forecourt image suppliers have been involved at every stage to ensure its effectiveness.
“Special considerations were made to ensure that the design system would be flexible enough to fit on any forecourt as almost every forecourt has a unique footprint. A modular construction approach ensures production costs are kept to a minimum while making sure the integrity of the design is always maintained.”
Matt Burn, senior account manager at Oakwood, said: “We wanted to add impact to Gulf’s forecourt branding, retaining the core themes while developing a new look and feel that stands out on the roadside. In doing so we felt that the Gulf logo should remain top of the hierarchy.
“It has previously only been used as a secondary device yet, as a globally recognised and respected logo, it seemed only natural for us to position it at the forefront of everything. We then looked to improve the connectivity between canopy, pole sign and other aspects of the forecourt. The flowing waves help to achieve this, creating a constant journey of movement.
“Gulf’s core colours were utilised through subtle fluid gradients to add contrast against the hard lines of the logo. The Gulf orange and blue core colours are contrasted against a clean white finish to create impact and maximum standout, day or night.”
The new image will be rolled out from the second quarter onwards and is currently being installed at selected locations for testing purposes. Dealers joining the Gulf network over the coming months will receive the new forecourt image.
“Our investment in a new livery reflects our long-term commitment to strengthen and grow the Gulf network and is another step forward as we look to improve every aspect of the Gulf dealer package,” explained Welsh. “Before embarking on this project, we listened to consumers and dealers. The clean curvy style, while maintaining the strongest elements of the Gulf brand, has been positively received and this bodes well as we look to widen our appeal to motorists and shoppers.
“As the leading supplier to the UK’s independent sector our on-going objective is to increase the profitability and revenue potential for every one of our Gulf retailers and this is another step forward in the process.”
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