The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

Rubis will invest $1.3 million in the rebranding of its Texaco service stations, four of which are set to undergo the transformation within days.

The French multinational’s regional sales and marketing manager, Byron Ferguson, said the re-branding comes with several new features, including a ‘pay at the pump’ service; laser car-wash, UltraTec unleaded gasoline and diesel fuel; and TOTAL lubricants.

“We are happy to say that we are on schedule, and within days we will begin to re-brand our sites in the Bahamas, completing the entire Bahamas by the fourth quarter [of 2013],” he said.

“Over the next several weeks, you will begin to see the transformation of our network and the rising of new, refreshed Rubis service stations throughout the Bahamas.”

Among the first former Texaco stations to be unveiled under the Rubis brand will be the Thompson Boulevard, Faith Avenue, Wulff Road and Blue Hill Road locations.

“The transformation of each site, once the re-branding in earnest begins, only takes a few days - three to five days,” Mr Ferguson said. “You will see the sleek green, white and red colours of Rubis begin to emerge at these sites and then continue to unveil across the entire Bahamas, including our marine sites.”

A ‘pay at the pump’ programme, where Bahamians can pay for gasoline at the pump using debit and credit cards, will also be a feature of the new stations.

“We are actually the first to offer this in the Bahamas,” Mr Ferguson added. “We have already rolled this out at three sites - Faith Avenue, Wulff Road, and Carmichael Road... This is an innovation that’s growing quickly throughout this region, and at Rubis we are happy to be the first to offer it to the Bahamian motoring public.

“Consumers would be able to pull up to the dispenser, and pay with their credit or debit card right at the dispenser. The customer service representative would still be there to assist with the transaction, and also dispense the fuel for them.

“This allows them not to have to go inside the service station to queue up to pay by credit card and debit card, which slows down the whole process and creates a more negative customer experience.”

Mr Ferguson said Rubis was also set to introduce a new Laser 360 TouchFree car wash at the Thompson Boulevard location.

“Busy Bahamians would be able to come in, clean their vehicles and get back on their busy schedules without missing a beat,” he explained.

And UltraTec unleaded gasoline and diesel will be offered. This fuel cleans engines of fuel deposits, allowing a “cleaner, smoother ride.” TOTAL lubricants will also be available at Rubis stations.

“Where we’re at right now, we began this programme about a year ago and we said we would complete this by the fourth quarter of this year, and we’re on schedule,” Mr Ferguson said.

“All of the materials are arriving and you’ll begin to see work teams hit these sites and bring these sites to new life. We’re excited.”

Formerly owned by Chevron, the Bahamas’ Texaco business was acquired by Rubis Caribbean one year ago.