Amoco Gas Stations

[Warstud]

A Sunoco Gas Station near work closed down a few months ago and today I see it's Amoco. I thought BP bought out Amoco years ago.

 

[IndyFan]

A Sunoco Gas Station near work closed down a few months ago and today I see it's Amoco. I thought BP bought out Amoco years ago.

Yep, I'm seeing them pop up around my AO. BP still owns it.

 

[Danh]

BP markets its fuel under the BP and Amoco brands. Same product, just marketing. I gather BP’s market presence results in lots of BP stations in some areas so using the Amoco brand provides some differentiation. Same as Mobil and Exxon.

 

[y_p_w]

BP markets its fuel under the BP and Amoco brands. Same product, just marketing. I gather BP’s market presence results in lots of BP stations in some areas so using the Amoco brand provides some differentiation. Same as Mobil and Exxon.

It's more like marketing a retail brand than anything else, since it's not always their fuel. I get that they've cultivated an image of these large oil companies being tightly run, vertically integrated companies. However, Conoco-Phillips has separated from the Phillips 66/76/Conoco retail brand. Valero basically sold all of its retail brand to Alimentation Couche-Tard. BP owned Arco, sold it, then licensed back the name in a few markets.

Mobil and Exxon don't have a single refinery making California RFG, but they came back to the local gas station market in much of California that they abandoned in the 90s. Shell doesn't either. Neither does BP. They obviously buy their fuel on the spot market for distribution to their franchisees.

 

[Danh]

It's more like marketing a retail brand than anything else, since it's not always their fuel. I get that they've cultivated an image of these large oil companies being tightly run, vertically integrated companies. However, Conoco-Phillips has separated from the Phillips 66/76/Conoco retail brand. Valero basically sold all of its retail brand to Alimentation Couche-Tard. BP owned Arco, sold it, then licensed back the name in a few markets.

Mobil and Exxon don't have a single refinery making California RFG, but they came back to the local gas station market in much of California that they abandoned in the 90s. Shell doesn't either. Neither does BP. They obviously buy their fuel on the spot market for distribution to their franchisees.

We can agree gasoline is essentially a fungible commodity. But additive packages are unique to each brand, making, for example, BP gasoline somewhat different than Mobil. But, to the extent allowed by local regulations, each should be pretty consistent country-wide.

 

[hank2]

I believe that the BP use of the Amoco trade name is only that. The old Amoco is long gone. At least that's what I have read on these forums. The only station in my area that had been BP (with pumps signed as Amoco) switched to Sunoco about 10 years ago. The old Amoco had a rep for high quality fuel long ago. Their premium fuel was unleaded even in the 1960's. I don't know what they used to create 96-97 PON premium without the lead.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Noticed here that you won't see two BP stations close to each other. One will be Amoco instead.

 

[y_p_w]

I believe that the BP use of the Amoco trade name is only that. The old Amoco is long gone. At least that's what I have read on these forums. The only station in my area that had been BP (with pumps signed as Amoco) switched to Sunoco about 10 years ago. The old Amoco had a rep for high quality fuel long ago. Their premium fuel was unleaded even in the 1960's. I don't know what they used to create 96-97 PON premium without the lead.

Well yeah. Is it that unusual? But certainly they've merged their operations where Amoco's operations were folded into BP. Chevron did the same with Texaco. Same with the 76 brand and ConocoPhillips (now Phillips 66 after the split).

But with very few exceptions, pump fuel these days is a commodity other than the additives.

 

[y_p_w]

We can agree gasoline is essentially a fungible commodity. But additive packages are unique to each brand, making, for example, BP gasoline somewhat different than Mobil. But, to the extent allowed by local regulations, each should be pretty consistent country-wide.

Understood. However, it does feel a little odd that some insist that one company's additives must somehow be that much better than another's. That's more marketing at work. Chevron and Shell have done a really good job of building up the brand name enough for people to thing their fuels are so much superior that some people will pay a high premium for them.

It's not really that hard for anyone to market fuel with a decent additive. It's just a matter of buying an additive, putting enough in, and even filing the paperwork with Top Tier Gasoline. Just go to BASF, Afton, Lubrizol, or even Chevron Oronite. That a division of Chevron would sell to its competitors probably seems a little bit odd to many, but they don't really care. Heck - Costco just buys an additive from Lubrizol and adds it at the station, and their prices are just so much cheaper than most other gas stations.

 

[Slow Car Sport Mode]

It's more like marketing a retail brand than anything else, since it's not always their fuel. I get that they've cultivated an image of these large oil companies being tightly run, vertically integrated companies. However, Conoco-Phillips has separated from the Phillips 66/76/Conoco retail brand. Valero basically sold all of its retail brand to Alimentation Couche-Tard. BP owned Arco, sold it, then licensed back the name in a few markets.

Mobil and Exxon don't have a single refinery making California RFG, but they came back to the local gas station market in much of California that they abandoned in the 90s. Shell doesn't either. Neither does BP. They obviously buy their fuel on the spot market for distribution to their franchisees.

Arco in Chicago

Reminds me of Texaco, was absorbed by.... Chevron? I don't see Texaco gas anymore.

Brand names...

 

[Jim74]

A Sunoco Gas Station near work closed down a few months ago and today I see it's Amoco. I thought BP bought out Amoco years ago.

I live in Lansing, I think I live right next to the one you are referring to. I go there all the time just because it's convenient.

 

[javacontour]

A Sunoco Gas Station near work closed down a few months ago and today I see it's Amoco. I thought BP bought out Amoco years ago.

The Amoco name / brand is coming back. https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/who-we-are/our-brands/amoco.html

The station at US40/Interstate 64 and Skinker never came down.

St. Louis, MO - World's Largest Amoco Sign

Visit reports, news, maps, directions and info on World's Largest Amoco Sign in St. Louis, Missouri.

www.roadsideamerica.com

 

[PF52]

Arco in Chicago

View attachment 84931

Cicero & Augusta.... Interesting, that used to be a Citgo until recently.

 

[y_p_w]

Arco in Chicago

View attachment 84931
Reminds me of Texaco, was absorbed by.... Chevron? I don't see Texaco gas anymore.

Brand names...

I see a few Texaco stations. Also a few Marathon stations. Some Sinclair too. It's really not that hard because gas is gas, and the the gas going to Texaco stations is probably getting the same additive as Chevron.

 

[Slow Car Sport Mode]

Cicero & Augusta.... Interesting, that used to be a Citgo until recently.

That was my thoughts exactly, and it turned from that to Top Tier..

 

[Silver Samurai]

Here in WI over the past 2 years I've seen quite a few BPs change over to the Amoco brand...That said the fastest growing gas station/convenience store group is WI based Kwik Trip (or Kwik Star in Iowa).