Gulf Oil International is delighted to have signed a long-term brand use license agreement with the Canadian XTR Energy Company Limited. The agreement was signed by Gulf Oil Vice President International, Frank Rutten (left in inserted image) and XTR President, Ken Wootton (right in inserted image) at the recent Le Mans 24 Hour race, and the partnership means the return of Gulf branded service stations to Canada, after an absence of 30 years.
Gulf Oil International Business Development Manager, Paul Stannard, comments. “XTR, under the guidance of its President, Ken Wootton, has all the experience required to undertake the task of rolling out the Gulf network across Canada over the next few years and once again bring the familiar Orange Disc Gulf logo back to the highways of Canada.
“Gulf service stations are already present in 20 countries and Gulf Oil International is committed to growing networks in as many countries as possible throughout the world. Therefore, the new entry in Canada is another step towards achieving this target.”
The reaction to Gulf’s return as a retail fuel brand in Canada has been incredibly positive. Conversations are currently underway with a significant number of potential customers, and the first Gulf retail site in Canada is already up and running.
“We are extremely excited about representing Gulf for retail petroleum in the Canadian market,” explains XTR President Ken Wootton. “The Gulf brand has a strong reputation and will provide us a competitive advantage when talking with potential new sites.
“We have come out of the gate strong, and have opened our first Gulf site only days after contract signing, with many more sites under active solicitation. We still need to build out the full implementation model and loyalty programs to attract sites and customers, but the research is already well underway.
XTR looks to leverage Gulf’s strong affiliation with the Aston-Martin Racing team and the endurance that the Le Mans demands of its cars and drivers.”
XTR will be working in conjunction with Gulf’s official Canadian lubricant distributors, Teklub, in order to help further develop retail lubricant sales in Canada and so the prospects are bright for the further strengthening Gulf’s presence in the Canadian market.
