Vivo Energy Botswana rolls out its first “Welcome” convenience store

Vivo Energy Botswana, one of the leading suppliers and marketers of shell branded products and services in Botswana, last week launched its first “Welcome” convenience store in the country. The store was launched in Francistown, Shell Marang Filling Station. 
Speaking during the launch of the convenience store last week in Francistown on behalf of Vivo Energy Botswana Management, the Supply and Distribution Manager of Vivo Energy Botswana, Oscar Isaacs said the opening of such a convenience store is testimony that they want to conveniently reach to their customers and enhance their services and products.
“The “Welcome” Brand will progressively be rolled out to various Shell Service Stations across the country. Shell Marang is the first service station in Vivo Energy Botswana’s retail network to introduce a “Welcome” shop as part of a wide range of services complementing the existing business and clearly aligned with its growth aspirations,” he said.
Isaacs said the Welcome convenience store offers convenience, variety and optimum satisfaction to customers. He explained that to make it more service friendly, the store will have a shopping area, an eatery where customers can get a quick snack as well as other amenities. He revealed that Vivo Energy Botswana is currently undertaking an expansion plan to offer more services and value to its service stations in order to meet customer demands.
“Our objective is to bring Shell Brand closer to the people of Botswana by responding to the ever changing customer needs through providing them with high quality fuels, lubricants, shops and other convenience retail products like quick service filling restaurants. Part of the objective also involves bringing new and exciting shop formats in the convenience retail space that provides customers with options and provide them with more offering and more experiences.
For her part, Francistown mayoress, Sylvia Muzila lauded Vivo Energy Botswana for this new development particularly in Francistown. She said such a move would bring benefits to the community as well as valuable employment opportunities to the youth in the second city.  She encouraged the management of Vivo Energy Botswana to pride themselves on excellent service and continue providing the country with a wide variety of their convenience retail offers.
“I also want to encourage the residents of Francistown, particularly the youth to take advantage of the opportunities provided by this organization in the form of employment and maximize the benefits,” she said.
Vivo Energy was established in 2011 and first set foot in Botswana in 2012. The company operates and markets its products in countries across the whole of Africa. The group has a network of over 1 800 service stations in 15 countries and exports lubricants to a number of other African countries. 
Its retail offering includes fuels, lubricants, card services, shops and liquefied petroleum gas to business customers across a range of sectors that includes, marine, mining and manufacturing. The company also deals in jet fuel which is sold to customers in 23 airports through a partnership with another company, Vitol Aviation.
Vivo Energy employs around 2 350 people, operates over 1 800 retail service stations under the Shell Brand and has access to approximately 90 000 cubic meters of fuel storage capacity. According to further information from the company, Shell and Vivo have blending capacity of around  124 00 metric tons at plants in six countries being Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco and Tunisia producing shell branded lubricants.